Echos
by The Beckster
Summary: Companion piece to my other Star Wars fic Wells of Silence. Extra prompts, short drabbles, chapters I ultimately scrapped, requests. Not to be taken too seriously, but I hope you still enjoy. Inquire inside for further details.
1. Chapter 1

So I decided to go ahead and make a companion piece for Wells of Silence. (You guys ever get that one fic that just gets completely out of hand from when you originally start it? Yeaaaah... that's Wells for me)

This piece really isn't going to have an overarching theme, or chronological order, other than all taking place in the same universe as Wells. And Fair Warning, it's not going to have long, masterfully crafted, complete chapters. Really the purpose of this piece is somewhere for me to share extra pieces. Chapter ideas I couldn't quite work out into a full chapter. Scenes that fall out of the timeline of the story that I wanted to take a look at for this universe. Drabbles. I'll even take request prompts over PM or on my tumblr [my blog name is beck-a-leck. Because ff doesn't allow anything that resembles a link to be typed in] and post them here. Really it all boils down to not-quite-complete chapters. But I think it should still be fun to read.

To Start!:My original opening chapter! (Kind of)

I was watching Clone Wars around the time I decided to turn Wells into a full, post-able fic and was nearing the end of the series. I did a little futzing with the timeline and the math and realized that the Inhibitor chip stuff probably happened around 7ish months before RotS. That meant it would have been a good place to start the fic. Then I started typing it up, and it just got to close to completely reiterating the episode arc with next to no changes except Anakin's pronouns. I kind of abandoned it halfway through and went onto writing the chapter that did become the first chapter.  
When I decided to put Echos together, I knew this little bit floating around my hard drive was going to be the first. So I went through and edited what I had and finished up the scenes I left partially finished. But I didn't complete the arc. We've all seen the Clone Wars episodes, we know now it ends.

I hope you all enjoy!

-The Beckster

* * *

 **.**

 **Inhibitor Chip**

.

"Keep pushing forward!" Anakin commanded, her voice carrying clearly over the din of the battle.

The clones closest to her initiated a rallying cry. It spread through the battalion as the Republic forces surged forward. Anakin hesitated for the briefest moment, a grimace crossing her face. She frowned and swallowed her rising wave of nausea. Now was not the time to be sick, but it was hard today. For whatever reason, the smells of battle were turning her stomach in all the wrong ways. She had long ago become numb to the scent of spilled blood, and scorched flesh, the sharp ozone tang of blaster fire, and the noxious smoke of charred droid parts.

Maybe she was just getting tired. This battle had been raging for several rotations now, but they were _so_ close to taking the station. She and her clones surged through the corridors, ready to meet with Tiplar's and Tiplee's troopers as they took the last hangar. All they had to do was seize the command post and the battle would finally be won.

Anakin dodged blaster fire automatically, deflecting bolts with her lightsaber, moving forward with her troops and cutting through the droids. They breached the hangar and she saw masses of droids approaching, blaster fire rained down on them. The Seppies were making a final, desperate push to stop the Republic. Anakin smirked knowingly, this was their final stand and her forces were more than adequate to defeat the Separatists.

Suddenly, there was a shock through the Force, it jolted Anakin to her core and her nausea pushed at the back of her throat with a vengeance.

"Sister!"

Anakin turned slightly, still returning the droid's blaster fire, she saw Rex tackle another clone, she saw a body on the ground. Was that Tiplar? Was that Tup? Tiplee rushed to her sister's side and cradled her gently. Tup struggled under Rex's unrelenting hold.

What just happened?

Anakin could feel the shock go through the witnesses. Their advance lost its drive.

"Pull back! We've lost our momentum! Pull back!"

Many of the clones were confused, but they obeyed without question. A few closest to the Jedi helped Tiplee lift her sister's body. Others helped Rex haul Tup off the floor. Anakin watched behind her as she moved back, waiting for the others to clear before she turned and ran. The droids would only have a slight hesitation as they processed their sudden retreat. They wouldn't have long to escape.

Anakin was the last one into the central bunker. She made sure the clones were sealing the blast doors behind them before moving over to her fellow Jedi. She could feel Tiplee was upset, a deep sadness and anger coursed through her. She knew the two were twins. She imagined her loss felt akin to what she felt when she had lost her mother.

"Why?" Tiplee asked coldly, laying her sister's body out on the floor. "Why would he do this?"

"I don't know," Anakin admitted. "But I'm about to find out."

She moved over to the small storage closet they had shoved Tup into. The clone sat on a crate, his hands bound behind him, his eyes locked on the floor. He sat unsteadily, his head lolling slightly. Fives and a medic stood over him. Rex stepped forward to intercept her.

"What happened, Rex?"

"We're not sure, sir, it seems like he just snapped." Rex crouched down and placed a hand on Tup's shoulder. "Tup, can you hear me?"

Tup lifted his head a little. His words came out slow and unsure. "Yes, Captain."

"What happened out there?"

Tup blinked slowly. "What… what do you mean?" His eyes started roving around the group.

Anakin crossed her arms tightly. Tiplee had joined her at the doorway.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Rex asked, shaking his trooper a little.

"I… I…" Tup's gaze finally met Anakin's. She sensed a focusing in him. "Good soldiers follow orders... Good soldiers follow orders… Good soldiers follow orders..."

Tup repeated this over and over; rocking himself back and forth, head lolling, eyes roving at random. The medic knelt beside Tup, checking his eyes, and trying to snap him out of whatever this fit was.

Anakin furrowed her brow and took a step forward, reaching a hand out. Tup's eyes met hers again, and she saw his pupils constrict. Then Tup's gaze moved over her shoulder to Tiplee behind her.

"Good soldiers…" Tup stopped his muttering, and a fierce scowl crossed his face. "Kill the Jedi!" he snarled, lunging to his feet.

He charged at Tiplee, catching Anakin with his shoulder and knocking her and the medic aside. Tiplee stopped Tup in his tracks, holding him off the floor with the Force. Tup struggled against her hold, still snarling fiercely. Tiplee shoved him against the wall, holding him there with a furious scowl of her own.

Anakin recognized immediately that Tiplee would kill Tup if not stopped. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Tiplee's arm. "We need to get him to the medical frigate."

Tiplee blinked and released her hold. Fives and the medic were on Tup immediately, restraining him. With practiced efficiency, the medic procured a sedative from his pack and pushed it into Tup's neck. The rogue clone struggled for a few seconds before he fell into unconsciousness.

"Keep him restrained," Anakin commanded. She was deeply disturbed by Tup's mental break. Clones weren't supposed to have mental breaks What could have possibly caused this?

The sound of explosions reached her ears. Anakin looked over her shoulder at the blast doors. The durasteel was beginning to buckle on the central door.

"The droids are breaking through, generals!" one of Tiplee's clones reported.

"Let's move out," Anakin ordered. "Full retreat. We've got to get back to the fleet."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Anakin didn't like retreating, particularly not in a case like this. They had been so close to victory, but this thing with Tup. Tiplar's murder. It had thrown everything out of synch. They had lost the battle. They might lose this system. Now the best they could do was get their ships out and back to the blockade before the Separatists could rally another strike.

Fortunately, the Separatists seemed a little slow on the uptake... or they were letting the Republic forces retreat. It was unusual, but not unheard of, particularly when the commanding officers weren't one-track minded droids.

They reunited with the fleet without any more losses. Anakin walked quickly from the bridge of the medical frigate to the bay where they had taken Tup. She had to report their retreat, and the loss of Tiplar, but she wanted to be there when Tup regained consciousness. The med droids should be done with their diagnostics. It was time for some answers. Her stomach still twisted painfully, keeping her nausea ever present in the back of her throat.

Truthfully Anakin had been avoiding med bays recently. Some irrational fear that if she stayed in one too long someone would notice something was off. She was particularly keen to avoid the med droids and their scanners. This visit would be unavoidable though. She'd have to make it quick.

Anakin stepped into the med bay. Tup was still unconscious, restrained with heavy straps and bound to the exam table. Rex and Fives hovered at his bedside, a med droid stood ready to be of assistance, Kicks read from a datapad.

"Anything yet?" Anakin crossed her arms tightly and took her place by Tup as well.

"Nothing yet, General." Rex reported.

Anakin sensed Tiplee approach and keep herself at a safe distance from the clones. She was present, yet removed in the doorway. Anakin could feel Tiplee's cold fury and her pain. She silently admired her strength and self-control. They shared a look, but otherwise said nothing.

After a few minutes of waiting in silence, Tup finally stirred.

He tried to sit up, the confusion evident when he realized he was restrained. "Fives? What happened? What happened to me?"

Fives looked briefly to Rex before stepping closer to the struggling clone. "Tup you… murdered General Tiplar."

"What? No! I couldn't! I never!" Tup increased his struggling.

Fives stepped even closer, placing a hand on Tup's arm. "You did." he confirmed.

Tup only struggled more, pulling at the restraints. A stream of partially coherent protests fell from his mouth. Fives stepped back as the med droid approached with a sedative.

Anakin waited until he fell still before speaking again. "So what happened? What do his scans look like?"

Kicks lifted his datapad. "His scans are all clear. As far as we can tell this was a combat related mental break," he offered unhelpfully.

Rex furrowed his brow. "Kicks, you know that's impossible. We're built to withstand any kind of stress."

"I know," Kicks continued. "The only other possibility is that he's been infected with something, like a virus."

Anakin stepped farther away from Tup at the word 'virus.' She looked to Rex. "Let's discuss this outside."

Their group stepped just outside of the med bay doors. Anakin waited until the door slid shut before speaking again. "You're suggesting that someone _made_ Tup do this?"

"It's possible," Tiplee offered. "There have been rumors of the Separatists trying to develop an anti-clone weapon. Biological warfare."

Kicks shook his head. "We aren't equipped to deal with a situation like this. If we want our answers, he'll have to be taken back to Kamino."

Anakin nodded. "We'll get a shuttle prepped, you should leave as soon as possible. Keep him restrained and sedated until then."

Kicks nodded. "Yes, General."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Anakin had thought that this mess with Tup would have been cleared up after he made it to Kamino. But apparently, Fives had stirred up a whole mess of trouble. Tup was dead by uncertain circumstances. Something about a chip in the clone's brains? Tup's had gone bad, and it was still unclear whether that was his cause of death. The Kaminoans said it was a virus that caused Tup's break, and the chips were unrelated. She was inclined to believe them. They were the experts after all.

But still… Fives' chip was fine, though he had removed his own. He had been brought to Coruscant for further diagnostics but then had tried to assassinate the Chancellor! She knew Fives; he was part of her squadron. Was he infected by the virus too? Or was it because he had removed his own chip?

She tuned back into the conversation just as Master Windu suggested they investigate this matter independently. The Chancellor hadn't asked for Jedi assistance, so they couldn't openly investigate.

"I'll lead the investigation," she volunteered. "Fives was part of the 501st. If Rex and I find him, he'll trust us. We might be able to bring him in peacefully."

"Be wary," Shaak Ti warned. "Since he removed his inhibitor chip, Fives may no longer be the man you once knew. He is erratic. He may be dangerous."

"I will." Anakin nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "I think it would be best to try and take him alive. Deadly force should only be used if absolutely necessary."

"I agree. We can get more answers from Fives if he can still talk to us." Windu said with a nod. The holograms flicked out of existence and Anakin turned away from the table.

If she wanted to find Fives, she needed to get the 501st in on the hunt. They wouldn't want to see their brother get hurt either. Her gut twisted as she remembered the last manhunt she had taken part of. A few months ago it was her Padawan. Now it was Fives. She grit her teeth, determined for this hunt to have a better ending than the last one.

She took a speeder straight to the barracks. Her troops would still be there. They were on Coruscant for a few days of R&R, but technically that didn't start until sundown. Rex would still be there, and there was time to get the word around to the rest of her squadron.

Rex was easy enough to find. He saluted her sharply as she approached, as did the other clones he was talking to. She recognized Wolfe, but not the other clone.

"At ease," she waved down their salute. "Do you have a moment, Rex? I need to talk to you."

"Of course, General." Rex turned to the other clones and offered them a quick "Catch you later," before following Anakin. "Is this about Fives, sir?" he asked after a moment of silence.

Anakin nodded, her gut twisted even more painfully. "Yes. He attacked the Chancellor earlier today. He's on the run somewhere on Coruscant."

"He attacked the Chancellor?" Rex echoed disbelievingly.

"Fives seems to believe that he has uncovered a Separatist plot against the Jedi. He believes there is a conspiracy that involved you clones." She frowned, swallowing another wave of nausea. "Clearly he isn't in his right mind. I've been tasked with finding him. I'll need your help, Rex."

"Of course, General, I'll do anything I can."

"It's likely that Fives is going to see out help from his brothers, from the 501st. I need you and the boys to keep an eye out for him. If anyone sees him, I need to be the first to know."

"Yes, General. Is… is Fives dangerous?"

Anakin paused, and took a deep breath. "Most likely, yes, given his behavior earlier. But I want him brought in alive. Only use force if absolutely necessary. Understand, Rex?"

"Yes, sir." Rex paused a moment, thinking on something. "General, they said that Tup caught a virus that made him go crazy. And Fives might have the same thing. Is it contagious?"

Anakin shrugged, and her stomach twisted again. "I don't know. I don't think it's highly contagious, or else our entire battalion would probably be showing symptoms." She shot Rex a wry look. "You don't want to kill me, do you?"

"No, General!"

Anakin cracked a tense smile. "It may be a virus, but I doubt it's very contagious. Fives spent a lot of time with Tup between Ringo Veda and now. Still… I wouldn't recommend kissing Fives until we know what's wrong with him." Both she and Rex chuckled weakly at the attempted joke.

They stopped outside the canteen and a quick look in showed that most of the 501st was taking a meal before a free night on the town. At least spreading the news would be done quickly. Anakin wrinkled her nose at the smell, whatever they were serving for dinner smelled awful. She realized belatedly, that the smell wasn't bad; her stomach just didn't like it. It lurched and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She ignored Rex's concerned question as she ran to the nearest trash can and heaved the contents of her stomach over uneaten portions of tonight's dinner.

"General, are you alright?" Rex asked again, once Anakin was done heaving.

She straightened and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she shook off Rex's hand from her shoulder. She looked around, wondering how much attention she had managed to draw, but Rex had placed himself between her and the rest of the canteen. Nobody else had taken notice.

"I'm fine," she muttered, walking away quickly.

Rex wasn't assured and followed her. "Are you sick, sir? Did you catch that virus?"

Anakin almost laughed. If only her problem was as simple as a virus. "No, it's not the virus. I'm just feeling a little off, that's all."

Rex stood in front of her and stopped her attempted retreat. "Forgive me for saying, General, but you're been 'off' for several weeks now. Ever since… well, ever since Mygeeto. Did the Separatists cause some serious injury?"

Anakin winced. She had really hoped nobody else had noticed. Obi-Wan had already said something about her being sick, but she had managed to put him off her scent. They hadn't had a mission together since shortly after Mygeeto. "Nothing that hasn't healed, Rex. But thanks for watching out for me." She clapped the clone captain on his shoulder and moved past him.

"Sir." Rex was unconvinced and followed her closely.

Anakin closed her eyes and suppressed a groan. She almost considered pulling rank and telling Rex to forget about it, but that wouldn't have been fair to her friend. He was worried about her. She had just vomited, seemingly unprovoked, into a trash can. "It's nothing, Rex, really. Just combat related stress or something. This R&R has been a long time coming for all of us."

The clone still looked unsure, but he stepped a little ways away from Anakin. "If you say so, General."

"I do," Anakin stated. "Now go tell the rest of the 501st about Fives. I want to find him a quickly as possible, before he or anyone else gets hurt."

Rex snapped her a quick salute. "Yes, sir." He turned back towards the canteen.

Anakin waited until he was out of sight before she slumped against the wall. She rubbed at her temples and willed away the headache that was encroaching. She was beginning to feel that unfortunately familiar fuzz at the back of her eyes that signaled a bought of vertigo was on its way. She couldn't deal with that right now. She needed to be her sharpest so she could help Fives.

She took a steeling breath and squared her shoulders. She just needed to help Fives. If she could stay focused on that, she wouldn't fall apart.


	2. Chapter 2

A short bit inspired by Clone Wars. This one I actually typed up after I decided to do Echos. I was watching the last season of CW and figured that last episode arc could use a look at. I really just wanted to see how Yoda's vision of the Temple might be different in this universe. Particularly if the twins already existed in the Force.

Timeline wise... this is probably 2 or 3 weeks before Chapter 1 of Wells.

I hope you all enjoy!

-Becks

* * *

 **.**

 **Yoda's Visions**

.

"I can take you to a place where there is no pain, no suffering." Katuni held out her hand for Yoda to take.

Yoda only faced a slight moment of hesitation before he took it. There was a bright flash, and he had to shut his eyes against the light, but it faded quickly. The ancient Jedi's eyes widened when he realized he was still at the Jedi Temple, only different than it had been previously. There were no bodies, no overhanging veil of death, no despair or pain.

"The Temple is beautiful, is it not?" the tholothian youngling asked, gesturing around.

"Yes, beautiful, it is. Like before the war."

The youngling chuckled. "There is no war here, Master."

Katuni wandered off into the crowd and Yoda looked around. The warm sun shone down on the courtyard, it must have been early summer, as the tree was full with lush green leaves, but a pleasantly cool breeze kept the sun's rays from being uncomfortably warm.

The courtyard was filled with people. Talking lightly, laughing, and sharing jokes. He saw Jedi Masters, Knights, and Padawans. Younglings chased each other around the tree in an enthusiastic game of tag. People he all knew. His friends, his students.

He heard an achingly familiar laugh – one he had not heard in decades – and turned around. The crowd seemed to part around a group. Kenobi and Skywalker were facing him, Padawan Tano was beside her Master, and two other Jedi had their backs to him. As he got closer to the group he saw that there were others in the group. Two human younglings he did not know clung to adults and watched with wide eyes. They couldn't be more than two years old.

A brown haired girl tugged on Ahsoka's hands insistently, begging to be picked up. The young togruta finally relented with a gentle laugh, tickling the girl as she settled her onto her hip. A blond haired boy had one small hand tucked quite contentedly into Skywalker's, his other thumb was stuck firmly in his mouth. He shook her hand when he saw the other youngling be picked up. Anakin scooped him up and rested him against her hip, pulling his hand out of his mouth.

"What have I told you about your thumb, Luke?" she admonished gently.

The boy rested his head against her shoulder, and stuck his thumb back in his mouth as soon as Anakin's attention was back on the group's speaker.

Another ripple of laughter echoed around the group just as Yoda walked up.

"Ah, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan greeted, the remnants of laughter still in his voice. "Master Dooku was just telling us some tales of his apprenticeship. It was quite humorous."

The remaining two Jedi turned to face him. Yoda's heart stuttered. Count Dooku turned and smiled down at him, but so did Qui-Gon Jinn.

"I was just recounting the tale of that time you faced down the giant terentatek on Kashyyk, Master." Dooku chuckled. "What a terrible beast it was," he added with a dramatic shudder. As if the ordeal had been mere weeks ago rather than over sixty years past.

Yoda quelled his initial defensive reaction. This man was Dooku, his old apprentice, but different. He was not Count Dooku, the traitor, the Sith. He was Dooku as he should have been. "Yes, remember, I do."

He found his eyes drawn from his old padawan, and his long dead friend and back to the younglings. There was something about them… something important that drew him to them. He knew he had never met them before, he knew all the younglings in the Temple. He looked at the easy way Skywalker rested the child against her hip, the secure and comfortable cradle her arm made around the boy. Was he… surely not!

Obi-Wan placed a hand on Dooku's shoulder. "I'm sure we'd all love to hear more stories, but it's time we joined the others."

Collectively, the group turned and walked over to the tree. Anakin slipped the little girl out of Ahsoka's arms and balanced her on her other hip. Everyone in the courtyard gathered in the shade of the tree, still smiling easily, conversing quietly.

"Come, Master Yoda," Dooku beckoned, being the last to turn towards the tree. "Won't you join us?"

And he did! Yoda walked forward, eager to join this happy group in whatever came next. Everything was right in the world, for the first time in… it had been so long he couldn't remember. Then Yoda's steps slowed and he came to a stop at the top of the stairs. It was idyllic, _too_ idyllic. He looked around and saw the Tholothian youngling that had initially brought him to the courtyard.

 _There is no war here._ Her words echoed in Yoda's ears. Right now, she watched him with curious blue eyes.

"No, wrong this is!" Yoda proclaimed, stepping back from the edge. "All lies, this is."

The group all glowered at him. A particularly fierce scowl crossed Skywalker's face, and even Obi-Wan was glaring daggers at Yoda. Only Dooku kept his back to his old Master.

"Dead, I know you to be," Yoda continued, pointing at Qui-Gon. "Died on Naboo, you did!" He turned his point to Dooku's back. "And I traitor, I know you to be."

Suddenly, darkness enveloped the courtyard, and a fierce wind howled in Yoda's ears. People disappeared, either lifted away by the wind or swallowed in darkness. Only Dooku remained. The Sith turned slowly, his eyes glowed a furious red, and he raised his blade against Yoda.

Yoda automatically fell into a defensive stance, but as Dooku raised his blade to strike he relaxed. "No, an illusion this is," he declared. "A falsehood." He closed his eyes and let Dooku strike him.

When he opened his eyes again a moment later, he was back on that strange planet. No harm had been done to him. He felt a complex sort of peace. His journey was not complete, but he was taking steps in the correct direction.

Even though he knew it to be an illusion, those younglings with Skywalker had not been a complete falsehood. They had Force presence. They existed. But he did not know them. He tucked away those thoughts for further reflection. Another puzzle for another time.

He focused on the glowing orb approaching him, waiting for Serenity to continue her teaching.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Yoda found himself drawn back to the courtyard upon his return to the Temple. His visions had greatly troubled him, and he had yet to find any clarity through meditation. The Force seemed to be pushing him towards young Skywalker, it wasn't entirely unexpected. She was the prophesied Chosen One. Perhaps her destiny was approaching, and finally she would destroy the Sith and bring balance for the Force.

And those younglings he saw. They were still a great mystery that had yet to begin unraveling. Were they simply younglings that had yet been found by the Jedi? Over the course of the war, it was possible that some younglings had been missed. Or had they yet to have been born? Yoda reflected on the words he heard in his final vision. _There is another Skywalker…_

Surely there wasn't. Surely _she_ wasn't…

His ears twitched as footsteps approached and then stopped a respectful distance away. It was the very same Jedi he had just been pondering.

"The Council has assembled; they are waiting on your report, Master."

Yoda turned and looked the young Knight over. She certainly didn't look or feel like she was hiding something, but he couldn't probe without her noticing. "Afraid there is not much to tell, I am."

Skywalker smiled wryly. "I'm afraid I'm only the messenger, Master Yoda. The Council has strictly forbidden me from assisting in any further escape attempts."

Yoda chuckled, but began the walk to the Council Chambers. "Encourage you to disobey the Council, I would no wish."

Anakin smiled and laughed gently. He had done exactly that just a few days prior, but she didn't mention it and fell into step beside Yoda. "Did you gain any insight on your trip, Master?"

Yoda looked up at Skywalker shrewdly. And perhaps… when she was at ease and laughing, Yoda could almost sense that she was shielding herself with the Force. "Yes. Some insight, I did gain."


	3. Chapter 3

A short Coda for Chapters 14 and 15 of Wells of Silence. We get to drop in and see how some if our favorite clones are doing!

I hope you enjoy!

-Becks

* * *

.

 **Cody**

.

Cody scrubbed his hand over his face as he tried processing what had happened, what he had learned. He was... well Cody was feeling a lot of things. He supposed shock was a good descriptor, but it was much more complicated than that.

General Skywalker was pregnant! And judging by the look he got of her, quite far along.

How was that even possible?

He knew biologically how it was possible, but it just didn't make sense. Skywalker was a very active general in the war. She was a Jedi! She couldn't – _shouldn't_ be pregnant.

Her sudden disappearance nearly six months ago made sense now. Of course she couldn't be fighting battles if she was pregnant.

How could she do that now when the war was at such a crucial turning point? How could she choose to do something that would leave her men in the hands of another general? Ever since Krell, Skywalker had refused to leave her men under the command of anyone she didn't trust. Not to say that List wasn't a good general – he'd heard no complaints from Rex or anyone else in the 501st – but still. Her squadron was like her family, and she just left them! To have a _baby_... one she shouldn't have in the first place. He wasn't even one of her troops and he felt betrayed!

Skywalker was smarter than that. What happened?

Cody shot back the remainder of his drink, the whiskey burned its way down his throat. He tapped the bar for the tender droid to give him a refill.

 _Kriffing hell_!

Did anyone else even know? The Jedi did, obviously, or at least General Kenobi knew. As did Senator Amidala. Skywalker was working closely with the Chancellor. No doubt he knew as well. But did any clones know? Did the 501st know why their general left them? At the very least did Rex know?

Kriff, probably not.

Kenobi's orders echoed in his ears. _Not a word about Anakin to anyone._

Maybe Rex did know and he had just been ordered to the same secrecy he had been. His brother respected the generals, and as off-putting as this whole revelation was, he wouldn't disobey orders.

Cody wouldn't either. He shot back his drink again and tapped for a refill.

"I'll have the same." Another clone told the bar tender as he slid into the seat next to Cody. He caught a familiar profile and blonde fuzz in the corner of his eye.

Rex took his drink and nursed it much slower than Cody was drinking his. Cody nodded to Rex and looked around the bar.

The Officers Club was certainly much quieter than any other clone bar. It was easier to hold a conversation, but also easier to be overheard. He wanted to talk to someone about Skywalker. He needed to know how much Rex knew. They had several seats as a buffer between them and the other patrons. But, of those patrons, was General Plo Koon. He decided to try and be subtle about it. He downed his drink again and tapped for a refill.

"You know they're not going to run out of whiskey, Cody. You don't have to drink like the galaxy has a shortage." Rex commented quietly, still sipping his drink. "What's wrong?"

Cody scowled down at his glass. How many had he had since he sat down? More than he should have. Clones weren't lightweights, and he was beginning to feel a little fuzzy around his temples.

"Nothing really," he said, sipping his drink now. "Just learned something today is all."

Rex raised a curious brow at his brother. "You learned something?"

Cody looked around the bar. Nobody was paying them any mind, but General Koon was only on the opposite end of the bar. It wasn't unheard of for a general to come to the Officers Club, but it put Cody on edge tonight. Was he being watched?

He shook his head, shaking off the thought. He could speak with General Kenobi about Skywalker tomorrow. He was certain that his general would tell everything he could. There wasn't going to be some big conspiracy about Skywalker to uncover. No doubt she just made a stupid mistake and the Jedi were trying to avoid a public embarrassment.

"Nothing important." He told Rex.

"'Nothing important' makes you drink like that?" Rex asked unconvinced.

Cody took a drink and shrugged off his brother's concern. "They're unrelated. Have you seen General Skywalker recently?"

Rex shook his head. "We only just got back from a five month run in the Outer Rim. I haven't seen her since List took command."

"Oh, I was just wondering. I ran into her this afternoon."

"Did you? How has she taken to her special assignment with the Chancellor?" Rex asked before taking a drink.

Cody paused. The Skywalker he saw today had been nearly out of her mind. She had tried to attack him, she hadn't even recognized him. Clearly something was wrong with her, aside from being pregnant. "I think she's getting anxious being stuck here for so long."

Rex hummed and drank. He seemed unsurprised that the general was unhappy here. Then again, Skywalker, under normal circumstances, would rather chew off her other hand than be relegated to a desk job.

"Have you heard any rumors as to what her secret assignment is?" Cody asked causally.

"I'm pretty sure I've heard them all." Rex said with a scoff and an eye roll. "Honestly, the things people come up with."

Cody chuckled with him. "Yeah, I heard one today that said she was hiding a secret pregnancy."

Rex actually choked on his drink. He spluttered, pounded his fist against his chest, and tried to contain his laughter. "That's the most ridiculous one I've heard!"

"You think?" Cody prodded. "If you think about it, it makes sense."

Rex rolled his eyes. "Please, the General barely took time to sleep or eat or shower. I seriously doubt she found the time for clandestine relationships while we were bouncing around every corner of the Outer Rim." He nudged Cody with his elbow and muttered through barely contained laughter. "Kriff, I'd pay money to meet the poor bastard that actually managed to bed her though!"

Rex resumed laughing just at the thought and Cody joined him halfheartedly. He could tell that Rex didn't have the slightest suspicion that General Skywalker really was pregnant. Rex's laughter was far too genuine. That filled him with guilt. Of any clone, Rex deserved to know more than anyone.

Cody wanted to tell him right then and there, but he had to follow orders. Still, maybe he could drop a hint and lead Rex to figuring out on his own. As he tried to form the words, he felt a heavy gaze on him. Cody liked up and meet General Plo's eyes.

Had he been overheard? Did the Kel-Dor think he had been spreading rumors and idle gossip?

He downed the last of his drink and slid off his bar stool. "I've gotta go. Early start tomorrow." He clapped Rex on the shoulder.

"Thanks for the laugh, brother." Rex said, waving him off. When he turned back to where General Plo had been sitting, he was gone. Cody took a breath to prepare himself for the inevitable confrontation outside and walked through the doors.

Plo Koon wasn't even trying to be subtle. "Commander Cody."

"Yes, General." Cody snapped to attention automatically.

"Walk with me."

"Yes, sir."

They walked well out of earshot of anyone going into or out of the bar before Plo spoke again. "You ran into General Skywalker." He stated more than asked, letting Cody know he had heard everything.

"Yes, sir. This afternoon while I was helping General Kenobi with something."

"You saw what has kept her on Coruscant?"

"Yes, sir. General Kenobi ordered me to secrecy."

"Orders you nearly disobeyed." His tone was still casual and non-accusatory.

"I... I just wanted to see if Rex knew as well."

"Nobody knows. Save a few Jedi. You understand that this secrecy is for her safety."

Cody nodded. Skywalker had no shortage of enemies. If they knew of her vulnerable state they'd take advantage of it.

"I assure you general, I have no desire to see her or her..." Cody cut himself off, unsure of whether he could mention Skywalker's baby, it might be a test. He decided to be vague. "I would never want to see them get hurt."

"I know you wouldn't. But rumors only take hold faster when officers help spread them."

"I understand, General. I'll never speak of it again."

"That would be for the best, Commander. Though…" Plo stopped walking, and gazed off into the distance. Cody had the sense that he really wasn't looking at anything in the present. "I sense that all this secrecy will become unnecessary quite soon."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

The Jedi drew a long breath. "Neither do I, I'm afraid." He turned and began walking back towards the bar. "Take care, Commander, and may the Force be with you."

"And you, General." Cody waited until Plo Koon was a ways away before starting back towards the barracks. Today had been off on so many levels, and quite honestly by this point he just wanted to sleep the rest of it away, even if it was still relatively early. Questions about Skywalker could be answered tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

In which Anakin gets her robot hand, Obi-Wan gets over protective, and a lovedrunk teenager makes what may or may not be an incredibly stupid decision. AKA: I take a stab at that one part that I'm pretty sure every Anakin/Padme fic writer has also done. That day or two of time between Geonosis and the wedding. Because, what the hell, why not!

This part actually ended up a lot longer than I originally expected. Which isn't a bad thing at all.

I'll pretend I did it on purpose because I'm going to have to skip next week's updates since I'll be out of town.

Anywho, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Thanks for reading and leaving comments and faving! You guys are the best!

-Becks

* * *

.

 **Post-Geonosis**

.

Obi-wan scrubbed at his tired eyes as ran his hands over his unkempt beard. He was certainly due for a trim, and a shower, and a change of clothes, but he wanted to make sure Anakin was alright first. She was still unconscious. The surgeons said it could take some time for her to wake up after the anesthesia wore off.

Still... It had been a couple hours since their estimated wake up time. Anakin appeared to be having nightmares. Of what, he could only hazard a guess. She had seen her fair share of horrors in the last couple days.

He shifted around in the flimsy chair he had dragged over to her beside. He wasn't sure if he was so uncomfortable due to the chair, his own injuries, or sheer exhaustion. He hadn't slept much since Geonosis. It had only been a day... day and a half… maybe two? It was difficult to keep track of time in the windowless recovery room.

Regardless, Geonosis already felt much farther away than in reality.

Sometimes he had to remind himself that it wasn't all a hallucination from Dooku's torture. The Republic had really gone to war. They were actually using clones as foot soldiers in their army. Anakin had lost her arm to Dooku's blade.

He felt bile rise in the back of his throat as he looked at the conspicuously empty space on his padawan's right side. Guilt flooded him as his own injuries ached. He hadn't been there to help her battle Dooku. Two quick hits to the arm and leg and he had been down for the count. He had been useless. He had been worse than useless, he had become a weakness. He had been the one to insist that they didn't need back up. Anakin was maimed because of his ego.

Anakin muttered something in her sleep, and shifted slightly. Obi-wan took his focus from the stump of her arm, pushing his guilt away as best as he could.

Anakin shot awake with a gasp, eyes flying open, body twitching away from some unseen fear.

"Anakin, relax, you're at the Temple. You're safe." Obi-wan reached out a hand and pressed his apprentice's shoulder back into her pillows.

"M-Master? Where...? What happened?" Anakin's breath slowed as she took in her surroundings.

"Do you remember anything from Geonosis?"

Anakin squeezed her eyes shut. "Yeah... bits and pieces. It's a bit fuzzy." Her voice was raspy and weak. She cleared her throat and looked around. "Can I get a drink?"

Obi-wan poured a cup of water for her. Automatically, Anakin reached with her right hand. She stopped cold when she caught sight of her missing arm.

"Oh... right." She swallowed and reached with her left, letting her right fall to her side. She took a sip of water and looked anywhere but Obi-wan. "I remember now... I'm sorry, Master."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Anakin."

"I failed. Dooku got away."

"Even Master Yoda could not disarm him, Anakin. You mustn't blame yourself."

Anakin's grip tightened on her cup, but she didn't argue. "Why didn't they fit me with a prosthetic?" She stared down at her stump. The surgeons had cut away the charred and damaged tissue from the area and placed the connector in place.

"It's in fabrication. You have to be conscious during the attachment. And I knew you would have some design input." He finished with a slight smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Anakin smiled tensely down at her arm stump as she rotated it a bit, no doubt, already visualizing her new attachment. "Yeah, I've got a few ideas."

Anakin rested her head against her pillows and closed her eyes. Obi-wan didn't encourage more conversation. She still needed rest. He was content letting her drift back off to sleep. He gently picked the cup from her hand, and she didn't protest or stir. Several minutes passes in silence, Obi-Wan thought Anakin had fallen back asleep when Mace Windu approached.

"Excuse me, Kenobi," the Master leaned in a muttered in Obi-Wan's ear. "Senator Amidala is here. He wants to see Skywalker."

Both Jedi found their eyes flicking to the padawan. A frown evident on both their faces, but for differing reasons.

"I'll take care of it." Obi-Wan got to his feet stiffly, his joints popped in protest. Maybe he had spent too long sitting by Anakin's bedside.

"Take care of what?" Anakin asked, cracking one unfocused eye open.

"Nothing important, Anakin. Just rest. I'll be back."

Anakin opened her mouth, as if she was trying to prepare a witty retort, but she closed it and slumped back against her pillows. The drugs were still working their way out of her system. Probably a good thing, otherwise she would have sense that 'nothing important' was anything but.

Obi-Wan found Padme in a small room near the Temple entrance. There was a small table, and a few chairs. Someone had even provided a pitcher of water and a couple glasses. The senator ignored them all, though, and paced around the table with his arms tightly crossed. Judging by the stubble on his cheek and bags under his eyes, he had gotten about as much rest after Geonosis as Obi-Wan had.

Obi-Wan took a steeling breath before he stepped fully into the room. "Padme." The name came out colder than he intended, but perhaps it was for the best. Right now he needed to be firm, not friendly. He slid the door shut, giving them a little privacy.

Padme hardly noticed Obi-Wan's icy tone. His concern and anxiety was almost palpable to the Jedi. "How's Anakin?"

"She'll live."

"Can I see her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I think you know why."

Padme pressed his lips together and stepped back. "You too? I should have known by the rather icy reception I received when I asked after Anakin." He looked like he wanted nothing more than to leave the room.

Unfortunately, Obi-Wan was blocking the door with his arms tightly crossed. "I need to know what happened between you two."

"I'd rather not discuss it." Padme shot back defensively.

Obi-Wan certainly did _not_ like that answer. His scowl deepened towards the senator and a wave of protectiveness flared up in him.

Padme was quick to interpret his expressions. "It's nothing like that!" he insisted quickly, raising his hands placatingly. "We kissed a few times, but really that's all."

The protective flare died down a little, but it still simmered in Obi-Wan's gut. "That is only marginally better."

Padme stepped forward a half step and crossed his arms to mirror Obi-Wan. "I won't apologize for it. We did nothing wrong."

"I'm not her father. I'm not here to defend her honor."

"Could have fooled me. Why are you here then? Why can't I see her?"

"I'm here to tell you that you can't see Anakin. For her sake and yours?"

"Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Anakin is too rash, she thinks too emotionally. She would never come to this decision on her own."

"Since when do you get to make decisions for her?"

"Since she became my padawan."

"I think she's old enough to make her own decisions now."

"She's only nineteen!"

"Exactly! She is nineteen! Almost twenty. She's been a legal adult for nearly two years, Obi-Wan. She needs to start making her own decisions."

"Anakin can't make this decision, Padme. If it's left up to her, it will ruin her life."

"What do you mean?"

Obi-Wan sighed and scrubbed at his face again. "Attachments are forbidden for a Jedi. She will be expelled from the Order."

Padme's eyes widened in surprise. "Expelled? Over a… for falling… she would really be expelled from the Jedi Order for forming attachments? I thought at worst she would get – I don't know – a slap on the wrist or some disciplinary assignment."

"At the moment, that is all she faces. But, Jedi follow the Code. If a Jedi breaks the Code, they can no longer call themselves a Jedi, can they?" Obi-Wan softened a touch. "Anakin is still so young. She's so emotional. Think back to how you were at her age."

Padme clamped his mouth shut. Anakin may have been young, but she was old beyond her years. She certainly didn't act like most nineteen year olds he had known.

"It has to end, Padme. Before it grows out of control."

Padme fixed Obi-Wan with a steady gaze. "But I love her."

Obi-Wan frowned across the room to the Senator. "You've only been reunited for less than a week. You hardly know her. That's not love, Padme. You and I both know it."

Padme bit his lip and looked away from the accusation in Obi-Wan's eyes. "I'm not a predator, Obi-Wan. I'm not trying to take advantage of her."

"I don't believe you are Padme, but in this case, you need to be the one who walks away."

Padme locked his eyes on the pitcher of water in the middle of the table. Words he had spoken just a few days prior echoed fresh in his mind. _It just wouldn't work. You're studying to be a Jedi, I'm a Senator._ Would he really be selfish enough to put his own wants above Anakin's dream? She had wanted to be a Jedi Knight ever since she had met Qui-Gon on Tattooine. He couldn't take that away from her.

Maybe… maybe Obi-Wan was right. Maybe it _wasn't_ love. And starting a romance, and a forbidden one at that, at the dawn of a war… _irresponsible_. Maybe in a few years, when they're both older and thinking with cooler heads they could reevaluate things. Maybe Anakin would want to move on from the Jedi. Maybe he would be ready to step down as Senator… maybe things could work out then, but not now.

"Alright, I'll end it. But… can I tell her?"

"I don't think you seeing her would be best right now."

"No, perhaps not, but I think I should be the one to tell her. If I disappear without a word, she'll never rest until she knows why... she'd be heartbroken."

Obi-Wan shifted his weight and loosened his arms. "And when would you suggest doing this?"

Padme thought for a moment. "I've been summoned back to Naboo by the Queen. With the Separatists out there, I'll need an escort."

Obi-Wan didn't feel so sure about that idea. Look at what happened already with Anakin and Padme spending time alone together. Then again… didn't he know something about being young and in love? Didn't he know his padawan? She would hate for this to become a public spectacle. She would resent him and the Council if they stuck their noses into this business. Perhaps allowing Padme the opportunity to break things off in private, when she would have a day or two to process it before she had to get thrown headfirst into a war, was the right way to do this.

"I will discuss it with the Council. In the end it is their decision."

Padme clenched his jaw, no doubt holding back another comment on how Anakin should be the one to make her own choices. But Obi-Wan knew he was right.

Anakin couldn't be left to her own devices to make these decisions. He knew that her choice would devastate her future. She needed to be guided to the right decisions.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Anakin was… confused.

The Council and Obi-Wan had been quite clear in their instructions. She had to let Padme go. She needed to end whatever they saw developing between the two. In no uncertain terms, if she pursued this relationship with the Senator and broke the Jedi Code she would be expelled from the Jedi Order.

And then the next day they turn around and let her escort Padme back to Naboo. Alone.

One would think that if they wanted her to end things with Padme, they would keep her as far away from him as possible. Were they testing her?

She scowled down at her new hand, and flexed it slowly. It ached at the attachment point, and she was getting phantom pains up the back of her hand.

They were probably watching and waiting for her to fail. Find any excuse to keep holding her back.

She was ready to face the Trials, but when she brought it up, all she got were excuses.

 _Anakin, you should spend some time recovering from Geonosis before you face the Trials. Anakin, you need time to get accustomed to your new hand before you face the Trials. Anakin, you need time to get over this thing with Senator Amidala before you face the Trials._

She didn't want to wait! She would adapt to her hand in a matter of days. A few sparring sessions and it would be like she had never lost it in the first place. Geonosis was just a taste of what this war would be like. There wouldn't always be time to recover and process things. She needed to get used to that now. And she certainly didn't want to "get over" Padme. She loved him.

Her scowl turned into a frown as she looked to the empty co-pilot's seat. Padme loved her too, didn't he? He had sounded so certain before the arena. She had felt his sincerity in their kiss. And yet… he had barely spoken to her since they left Coruscant.

Their journey was almost half-over and they had only shared a handful of sentences for a conversation. He hadn't even touched her or showed any inclination of a show of affection.

She clenched her new fist tightly. Did he no longer want her? Did he feel disgusted by her now that she had been maimed, now that she wasn't whole?

She wasn't naive. She knew that most of her feelings for Padme were fueled by lust. She was young, Padme was attractive. What was love without a little lust? But they had something deeper than shallow lust. She knew there was something there, small, uncertain, but it had the potential to grow into the most beautiful thing in the universe.

She wouldn't have risked breaking the Code if there wasn't something there worth fighting for!

Anakin growled and shot to her feet. She needed answers. Even if Padme had only been lusting after her, she needed to know. She could handle it if that was the case. She wasn't some moony, lovesick teenager from a holodrama. If her affections were one sided then she wanted to hear it straight from Padme. Then they could both put this behind them.

She marched back to Padme's quarters. He had spent the majority of the trip pacing back and forth with the door locked. Anakin raised her fist to pound on the door, but paused for a moment. A nervous twist of fear ran through her and she felt somewhat nauseous. She really didn't want whatever was happening between her and Padme to end…

She took a steeling breath and knocked twice. "Padme, we need to talk."

She sensed the Senator start at her call. She heard him walk up to the door. There was a pause; she could almost picture him with his hand hovering over the door controls. Then the door slid open, and Padme stood before Anakin, looking far more composed than she sensed he felt.

"We do need to talk," he said, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Can I come in?"

Padme pursed his lips, but stepped aside. Anakin stepped hesitantly into the room. It was clearly meant for the captain of the ship, or the Senator. The quarters were slightly larger than the other sleeping quarters on the ship. And while two or three bunks were usually squeezed into one room, only one bed was in this one, along with a desk and a small sitting area with a couple chairs.

Padme sank into one of the chairs silently. Anakin sat across from him. He didn't look like he was going to open the discussion, so Anakin decided to cut to the chase.

"What's going on with us, Padme?" she asked bluntly.

Padme bit his lip and thought for a moment before he answered. "We have to end this, Anakin. There can't be an 'us.'"

Anakin had been expecting that answer. Still, she wasn't just going to let this die without a fight. "Why not?"

"You're a Jedi, Anakin. You can't have a relationship like this."

"Says who?"

"You'll be expelled from the Jedi Order. I won't put you up to that decision."

"That's not your decision to make." Anakin tried to keep and anger from her voice. But honestly, she was tired of other people making decisions for her! All her life, others had been making her choices for her!

"But it's not a decision you can make alone, Anakin. For your sake, for my sake, for _our_ sake we have to end this."

Anakin swallowed and looked away. He was right, to a certain degree. If Padme didn't want to be with her, there wasn't anything she could do to stop him. "But I love you," she whispered.

An agonized expression came over Padme's face. "We barely know each other, Anakin. Love takes time."

"What does that matter? It's not like we won't have time to get to know each other. There's something there, Padme!" Anakin shot to her feet and began speaking earnestly. "You have to feel it like I do. Beneath all this shallow stuff, there's something amazing that could happen with us."

Padme pursed his lips, and looked to the floor. Anakin grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Padme, you said you loved me. Was that… was that a lie?"

Padme shook his head and blinked away a few tears. "No. It wasn't, Ani," he whispered back in a strained voice. "I do love you, Anakin."

"Then why can't we give this a try? Why can't we be together?"

"Your future, Ani. The Jedi Council…"

"What they don't know won't hurt them. They have bigger problems to focus on."

"And what kind of relationship would we have it it's build on lies and deception?"

"There won't be any lies between _us_ , Padme. But you know as well as I do that sometimes deception is necessary for the greater good."

Anakin spoke earnestly; she pulled Padme's hands close to her heart, and looked deeply into his eyes. They were so beautiful. A rich, warm brown that seemed to glow with sunshine and summer breezes. They reminded her so much of her own mother. A stab of pain lanced through her heart when she remembered her recent loss. And suddenly, she knew that she didn't want to – no she _couldn't_ – lose Padme.

She pulled him in for a kiss, and he yielded quite willingly. They melded so perfectly together. They fit into each other's arms like they were built as complimentary pieces. Through that one kiss, she knew that they were meant to be together, and no force in the universe could or would keep them apart.

Finally, they broke the kiss, but didn't pull away from each other. Anakin held Padme close, and muttered into his ear. "Marry me, Padme."

She could sense his shock as he pulled back. "What? Anakin, w-we can't."

She could sense that even though he was saying 'no' Padme desperately wanted to say 'yes.' Anakin pushed a little harder.

"Why not?"

"You're a Jedi, Anakin! How are you going to hide this if we're married? How would you conceal that from the Council, from Obi-Wan?"

"It can be done, Padme. The Council won't even bother looking into this when I tell them it's over."

"But what about the war, Anakin?"

"Another compelling reason to get married." She tightened her grip on his hands and pulled him back close to her. "Everything is about to get turned upside down. This war is going to change the Republic, and probably the whole galaxy. I don't want to spend a single day of this war without you. Even if you're only with me in spirit as my husband, you'll anchor me. You'll keep me grounded. You'll be my reason to keep going."

Padme sighed, and hugged Anakin tightly. But he still didn't say anything.

"Please, Padme. Even if it's a secret, even if nobody else will ever know… I know that I can handle anything, I can face any danger, defeat any foe for you."

"Ani… a marriage built on lies and deception will be hard for both of us. Even if you weren't a Jedi and there wasn't anything to hide… maybe… maybe we're rushing things a little."

Anakin held Padme tighter, reassuringly. "We can handle anything together, Padme. I know this is the right choice."

Padme breathed a laugh. "Alright." He stepped back, only a little and looked Anakin straight in the eyes. "Anakin Skywalker, will you marry me?"


	5. Chapter 5

Another little flashback episode! (Well, half flashback) This time we step back into Phantom Menace territory.

Quick warning. If you get squicked/bothered by self harm or blood there might be a paragraph or two you'll want to skip. I think they're quite clearly led up to, and it's certainly nothing graphic. But if you'd feel better skipping the chapter, you won't hurt my feelings.

Look for the next chapter of Wells this week! Exciting things will be happening!

Thanks all for reading and leaving comments and faves and follows! You guys are the best! I'm glad you're enjoying my little story and extra bits as much as I am!

-Becks

* * *

.

 **Scars**

.

Anakin made a wry face at herself in the mirror. She stood before it, fresh from the shower, and looked herself over from head to toe. She didn't do this often – vanity certainly wasn't one of her vices – but something had caught her eye and she just got stuck looking herself over.

It was her hair that made her stop and look. It was growing annoyingly long, falling well past her shoulders, always having to be pulled back into a braid. Even worse, it just wouldn't stop growing. She had cut her hair back to her usual short chin-length before Mygeeto and already in six months it had grown six inches. Stupid hormones. Stupid vitamins.

After resolving to go in for a haircut soon, her eyes roved around. She wasn't sure if it was the heat of her recent shower or another side effect of her pregnancy, but all of her scars seemed to stand out white and pink against her tanned skin. She had more than she cared to count, more than she remembered ever getting.

She traced her fingers over the branching scars on her neck and shoulders; a result of far too many electrocutions. She knew she could trace the branches all down her back (she absolutely loved when Padme traced them with his lips). There were other scars on her arms and legs. Blaster grazes. Lightsaber burns. Cuts from her own carelessness while working. Cuts from an assailant's blade.

Then there were natural scars. Stretch marks spidering up her thighs and around her arms. She'd had those since she was fourteen. But there were new ones to join them, striped up and down her stomach. Marks of the life she nurtured there. She'd heard a lot of women bemoan their marks after pregnancy, she never quite understood that. They were a mark of the incredible ability to nurture a life. What was there to be ashamed of?

Her gaze finally lingered on one particular scar. It wasn't her biggest scar, or her oldest, but it was the only one she was privately, but inordinately proud of. Normally, it was only about the size of the end of her thumb, but had gotten somewhat stretched and distended in recent months. Usually it rested on the right side of her stomach, perfectly spaced between the bottom of her ribcage and her hip. She laid a couple fingers against it and one of the twins pressed their hand back from the other side of her womb.

She smiled softly and remembered the day she got that scar.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Her first night ever off Tattooine. _Stars_ , how many nights had she whiled away dreaming of this very day? And now… well, admittedly, when she imagined her departure from Tattooine she was fighting off space pirates and rescuing some lost royalty. That stranger that had pursued them from Mos Espa wasn't a pirate, nor did she get to fight him off, but she did get to meet a young king. It certainly hadn't been boring and she wasn't the least bit disappointed.

Though, she really hadn't thought it would be so cold.

Anakin shivered and pulled the blanket Padme had given her tighter around her shoulders. She had been given her own little bunk room and had been encouraged to make herself comfortable, but she couldn't go to sleep yet. She needed to wait a little while longer.

She shifted herself into another, more uncomfortable position and tried to keep herself awake by imagining what it would be like to be a Jedi. She'd met a grand total of two thus far, but they seemed like nice people. Master Qui-Gon had shown more patience with her than she had ever experience from anyone who bore the title Master. And his apprentice Obi-Wan… well, they hadn't spoken much, he had spent most of his time in the engine room, or on the bridge, or speaking to the King with Qui-Gon.

Anakin had just tried to stay out from underfoot as much as she could while still taking in everything possible. For the most part, they left her to her own devices for the evening. Only after Qui-Gon checked, cleaned, and bandaged her cut again (not to mention allowed her to ask every question she could think of about the ship's med kit) did he give her anything remotely close to an order. He sent her to bed; she had had a long day, and tomorrow was going to be another busy day on Coruscant.

Well… Anakin was sitting in her bed. That counted right?

The ship finally felt quiet enough for her to sneak around. She wasn't really sure how she knew – Qui-Gon had explained it as the Force, but to her it just felt like a gut feeling

She unfolded from her bed, and dropped the blanket off her shoulders. The chill air of the ship sent a shiver through her. She crept to her door, put an ear to the metal, and when she heard nothing, opened it. She tiptoed through the ship and into the central common room. She hung back in the doorway, peeking in to make sure it was empty. When she was certain nobody would sneak up on her she stole across the room and pulled opened the med kit. It was well organized and she was quickly able to find the items she needed. She shoved them into her tunic and sprinted back to her room.

Once the door was closed and locked behind her she dumped her stolen goods onto her bed. Her hands shook a little as she organized her supplies. Gauze pads and bandages. Med Glue. Disinfectant wipes. A handheld scanner. Forceps. A scalpel.

She shrugged out of her tunic and picked up the scanner. It was a devastatingly simple device, commonly found in any complete first aid kit. It was made specifically for finding foreign objects in a body. Anakin would have given _anything_ for a scanner like this on Tattooine. She had no idea they even existed. They were supposed to be used to ensure wounds were clean before they were bandaged up, but Anakin had other intentions for it. She just hoped it was powerful enough to work.

Her hands shook as she switched on the device. She was suddenly terrified.

Qui-Gon had assured her that her tracker would be removed surgically when they got to Coruscant, but she just couldn't wait that long! What if Watto hadn't deactivated it? What if it was only a matter of time or distance before the defense mechanisms activated? She just couldn't wait for Coruscant. She couldn't have that ticking time bomb inside her any longer!

She took a deep breath, held back her tears, and started running the scanner over her arms. She had no idea where the tracker was. Supposedly, they were small, but they couldn't be too small or else they wouldn't be able to hold any explosives. Anakin had spent countless hours pressing her fingers into every inch of her skin she could reach, hoping to feel something that wasn't supposed to be there. She had never once found anything.

The scanner didn't pick up anything on her arms or her legs. She ran the scanner over her front, and there was still no reading. Holding back tears, she messed with the settings on the scanner, and realized it was on low sensitivity. She turned it up to the highest sensitivity and tried again, moving even slower over her limbs. Still, she found nothing on her arms and legs.

Anakin begin to panic. What if the tracker was somewhere she couldn't reach? Somewhere she couldn't get to on her own. Her tracker had been implanted when she was still an infant, what if it had moved too deeply? She ran the scanner slowly over her front one last time and breathed in relief when it beeped at her.

It was sitting right between her right hip and her ribs. Anakin set the scanner aside, and pressed her fingers into the spot. She felt nothing, but she pressed harder and _yes!_ She felt something there!

Her hands were shaking now with anticipation. She rolled up her shirt and reached for the disinfectant wipes. She unwrapped the moist gauze pad and swiped it all over her right side. She tossed the used pad to the side and picked up the scalpel.

She paused and took several bracing breaths. It would hurt, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She set her resolve and framed the spot around her tracker with her left hand and cut with the scalpel. It stung and kind of burned, but the blade sliced through her skin with less effort than she had expected. Blood immediately welled out of the wound and flowed over her fingers, but Anakin wasn't going to stop now. She pressed her left hand down harder and felt the tracker slip towards the incision.

Anakin set the scalpel aside and reached for the forceps. She braced herself to dig into the incision.

"What are you doing?"

Anakin jumped, dropped the forceps and spun around to face the speaker.

" _Force_! What are you doing?!" Obi-Wan dropped the cups he was carrying and rushed to Anakin's side, falling to his knees.

"I-I - I had to get my tracker out." Anakin stammered, suddenly terrified.

"Why are you doing this yourself?" Obi-Wan snatched one of the gauze pads off the bed and pressed it to Anakin's side.

"I have to get it out," Anakin repeated.

Obi-Wan heaved a sigh and muttered something Anakin didn't catch underneath his breath. "Hold this here." He instructed Anakin, pulling her hand over the gauze. He picked up the forceps off the floor, unwrapped another disinfectant pad and wiped it over the tool. "Don't move." He instructed her tersely.

He pulled the gauze away and peered into the incision. Anakin watched him look at the wound for a moment and then he pressed his fingers underneath the tracker. She felt it move a little closer to the incision. He reached carefully for it with the forceps. Anakin didn't flinch or make a sound as the tracker was pulled out; she barely allowed herself to breathe in sharply.

Obi-Wan dropped the tracker into the now quite bloody gauze pad and grabbed a clean one.

"Press that down," he instructed Anakin. He picked up the med glue and a bandage. Within a few quick moments, he had squeezed some of the glue over the incision and then placed a square of gauze over that, then he placed the adhesive bandage over everything.

Obi-Wan sat back on his heels, sighed, and looked down at his bloody hands. "Why would you try this by yourself?" he asked quietly, disbelievingly.

Anakin didn't answer him right away. She unrolled her shirt and then picked up the tracker on the floor. She held it between her fingers. It was about two inches long, an eighth of an inch wide, cylindrical, a contraption of glass and metal. Anakin wiped away the blood and looked closer at the tracker.

It was deactivated, her gut told her that, and she breathed easier immediately. She showed the glass covered end to Obi-Wan. "That's an explosive," she stated simply, dropping the tracker into his hand.

"Oh," was all Obi-Wan had to say. He looked around, and down at the blood spotted floor. He began gathering the bloodied tools. "Come on, let's get this cleaned up."

"Are you going to tell Master Qui-Gon?" Anakin asked quietly, picking up the discarded disinfectant wipes.

"Yes." Obi-Wan stated. "Dishonesty of not becoming of a Jedi." He paused for a moment and offered Anakin a small smile. "But I think we can wait until tomorrow. He's sleeping right now."

Anakin echoed his smile tightly. "Thank you."

Once they had picked up all the trash, and wiped up the spilled blood and tea, Obi-Wan dragged Anakin back to the central room, and sat her down at the table. "Try not to move too much. I want to make sure your bleeding has stopped."

He disposed of the bloody gauze and cleaned and sanitized the scalpel and forceps. "We should keep the tracker until we get to Coruscant. The doctors at the Temple should look at it before we dispose of it." Obi-Wan explained while he worked. "I was actually coming to bring you some tea. I sensed you were still awake."

"You sensed me?"

"Yes, when you train some you'll be able to sense other beings as well using the Force. Do you want some tea?"

Anakin shrugged. "I've never had tea."

Obi-Wan flashed her half a smile. "Just sit tight, I'll be back in a few minutes." He disappeared from the room and came back a couple minutes later with two fresh, steaming cups.

She didn't hate tea, but she didn't really like it either. It was bitter and made her mouth feel strangely dry. By the time they finished their drinks, Obi-Wan had deemed that Anakin had stopped bleeding enough for her to go to bed. She was finally feeling tired enough to fall asleep. He sent her off to bed with the promise to check the incision tomorrow.

The next morning, she expected a lecture from Master Qui-Gon when Obi-Wan pulled her and his Master aside. The Jedi apprentice dropped a small vial that contained the now cleaned tracker into his Master's hand, and quietly explained where it came from.

Qui-Gon was quiet for a long moment. Anakin thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest, but she didn't dare move a muscle. In her experience, being too fidgety while being inspected lead to punishments. Instead she kept her eyes fixed firmly on her boots, hoping that punishment from a Jedi wasn't anything like the punishments Watto had doled out.

Finally, Qui-Gon drew a long breath in through his nose and crouched down to Anakin's level. "I'm sorry, Anakin," he said soberly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I should have realized this tracker was something that couldn't wait until Coruscant. You shouldn't have had to try removing it by yourself."

Anakin's head flew up and she looked the Jedi right in the eyes. "W-what?" she stuttered. He was apologizing to her? Why? He hadn't done anything wrong. "N-no, sir, I should have said something. It… it's not… You don't have to…"

Never before had a master apologized to her. Never before had she ever heard anyone called Master utter the words 'I'm sorry' truthfully.

Her eyes flicked over to Obi-Wan, who was hovering behind his Master with his arms crossed beneath his robes. His facial expression was placid and difficult to read, but Anakin could almost feel pity welling up in him.

A small, sad smile pulled at Qui-Gon's lips. "No, Anakin. I should apologize for my oversight."

"Oh, okay." Anakin breathed, his sincerity spread through her warmly.

Qui-Gon gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze and stood up. "Now, let me look at that incision. We'll be arriving at Coruscant soon and I want to make sure you don't need to see a healer."

Anakin nodded and rolled up her shirt. The Jedi checked underneath the bandage. The cut barely hurt anymore, but it was a little tender when Qui-Gon prodded gently.

"It looks to be healing nicely." He declared, replacing the bandages. "Now, go make sure you have all your things. You don't want to leave anything behind."

"Yes, sir." Anakin bobbed into a short bow and then retreated back to her little room. Her heart was still beating as she shoved the few possessions he had taken out the night before into her little pack. But now it was pounding from excitement.

She'd heard tales of Coruscant from spacers and smugglers and traders. The planet that had become one enormous city. The shining center of the galaxy. Where water rained from the sky and everyone lived in an enormous home and always had plenty to eat and drink. It sounded too good to actually be true. More myth than reality.

Still, it didn't mean she wasn't excited to get her first look at the city-planet. She swung her pack over her shoulders and hurried up to the bridge. The pilots had been very nice to her yesterday, perhaps they'd let her stay and watch the approach to Coruscant.


	6. Chapter 6

Here's a bit of a fun break from all the drama in Wells right about now.

This chapter came into being solely as an excuse for me to work in a Rogue One tie-in as well as make an excuse to dress Anakin up. Unfortunately, the more I worked on it and tried to fit it into the main story, the more it just kind of felt like an out of place chapter. The good news is, we have Echos for this kind of thing!

Chronologically it goes right between Chapters 13 and 14. I did have a lot of fun with this piece! I got to play with fashion and put Ani through the worst kind of torture: Forced small talk and inescapable social interaction.

Anywho, I hope you all like this chapter! Have a little fun with it!

-Becks

* * *

 **The Gala**

.

"Hey, Ani."

"Mmm?" Anakin drew her focus away from the datapad in her hands to look up at her approaching husband.

Padme settled into the couch, next to his wife, he ran his finger around the rim of his glass. "Well… there's this event coming next week. A charity gala. I've been invited, and I'm allowed to bring a plus one and…"

"No." Anakin cut him off, immediately, pretending like she hadn't just ignored and deleted her own invitation for the very same gala.

"But Ani!"

"No 'buts' I'm not going to some charity gala. Not like this." She gestured down at her stomach for emphasis.

"Everybody's going, Anakin. It's a huge event raising money for the Republic Futures Program and other charities to help children in the Republic. I'm surprised you weren't invited yourself."

Anakin pressed her lips together and looked away.

"You deleted the invitation, didn't you?" Padme deadpanned.

"Well it's not like I was going to go anyway. I'm not supposed to be making public appearances, Padme."

"Anakin, you have to go! As a representative of the Jedi, you would do wonders for public opinion by making this appearance. Everybody knows you're on Coruscant and working with the Chancellor. It would be more suspicious for you not to go."

"I'm not going." Anakin stated with finality. "Not unless I get direct orders."

.

Unfortunately, she did get said direct orders. Both the Chancellor and the Jedi Council ordered Anakin to make an appearance. Padme's points were reiterated. She was a popular public figure. Her presence on Coruscant was already widely known. It would look stranger for her not to show up.

Anakin slunk back to Padme's office with a defeated slump of her shoulders. The Gala was five days away. What was she supposed to wear? Her Jedi robes certainly weren't going to conceal her pregnancy. Even the ones Stav made for her weren't going to cut it for a formal event.

Padme wrapped his wife in a one armed hug. "Okay, don't be mad, but I kind of saw this coming and I talked to Stav when the invitations came out. We have an appointment in an hour."

Anakin frowned exaggeratedly at her husband. He had just taken away her final reason for not going to this stupid Gala. "I honestly don't know if I love you or hate you right now."

Padme cringed and apologized, but still dragged Anakin to the appointment.

Anakin officially decided that this Gala was going to be the worst night of her life when she saw what Stav had begun preparing for her. "Absolutely not."

Stav shrugged, unperturbed by her denial. "I mean, you can go for something else, but this is really the only thing that will hide your little unmentionable secret."

"I don't wear dresses." Anakin insisted, looking the mannequin over. The dress, still partially constructed, was a monstrosity of draped fabric, long layers, black silk, and blue accents, bejeweled details and embroidery on the bust and hemline. It was… it _was_ nice but it just wasn't something Anakin would _ever_ wear.

"Put it this way, Anakin," Padme offered. "Either you wear a dress for one night, or the entire Republic knows you are pregnant."

"Can't I just not go?"

"Not an option, unless you want to disobey direct orders."

Anakin growled and turned back to the dress. It really wasn't terrible. Stav hadn't gone _too_ overboard. She hung her head in defeat. "Fine."

Stav clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! Let's try it on before I make any final adjustments." He was already pushing Anakin towards a dressing room. "If I'm half as good as I think I am, then nobody will even be able to tell you're pregnant."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

The day of the Gala came quickly. Anakin took some solace in the fact that she wasn't doomed to a night of misery and socialization alone. A few other Jedi Masters were dragged into attending the Gala – with varying degrees of reluctance – even Obi-Wan was unfortunate enough to get roped into the event. Still, Padme had insisted on taking care of Anakin's hair and make-up – even though she was convinced she was fine as is. Her husband basically kidnapped her from the Temple (with Obi-Wan's assistance) and had spent most of the afternoon getting her hair pulled and her eyes poked while Padme applied what felt like hundreds of unnecessary products. His claim was that when all was said and done, Anakin wouldn't even recognize herself.

Anakin scowled and tried not to rub at her sticky, heavy eyelids. Honestly, whoever invented fake eyelashes deserved to be drug out into the street and shot. She could hardly blink without brushing her cheeks or her brow with the stupid things, and they would smudge make-up everywhere. She looked ridiculous. She could already tell, even if Padme hadn't let her look into a mirror any time over the last three hours. Her face felt heavy with all the make-up and her hair was stiff with the products Padme had put into it to make it hold its shape.

One hour until the Gala started and she was already over this night.

Finally Stav arrived with the dress, and Anakin was helped into it. She hated the thing based on the sheer fact that she couldn't dress herself. It had intricate lacing in the back that needed a second set of hands to tie it. Not to mention there was this damned uncomfortable monstrosity of a bra she had to deal with. Really it couldn't even be called a bra; it was just two cups that had practically been glued to her chest to give her lift. The dress was nearly backless, nothing else would have worked. The low neckline of her dress showed an uncomfortable amount of cleavage for her taste – something which she never tried to flaunt if she could help it. Her discomfort hadn't been eased by Stav's insistence that more cleavage was better ("Honestly, with that showing, nobody will be looking at your stomach") but it was made a little better by Padme's very approving looks.

Finally, when she was all trussed up, and nothing else needed retouching, Padme and Stav stepped back to admire their work.

"We did a good job," Padme commented, drinking in his wife with eager eyes.

"Damn miracle workers," Stav agreed, giving Padme a high-five.

Anakin flushed and crossed her arms self-consciously, not that either of the two could see the blush on her cheeks underneath all her make up.

"Anakin, go ahead and turn around now. Look in the mirror." Padme said after another moment of appreciation.

Anakin rolled her eyes and turned around, facing her first mirror of the day. She was definitely surprised at the reflection facing her.

The woman in the mirror certainly didn't look like her. That woman in the mirror wasn't Anakin Skywalker: young Jedi war hero who was more comfortable on the front lines than she was in social settings. An elegant, graceful young woman looked back at her, standing tall and regal in a dress made for a queen.

The make-up that felt so heavy and caked on was much less overdone than she feared. Her eyes were the most accented, but really only the fake lashes looked out of place. Her scar was hardly visible underneath the make-up. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. It wasn't like the scar bothered her to see, she never made an effort to hide it, but she supposed it fit with this look she was sporting. Her brows had been sculpted in a sharp manner that quite suited her, her cheeks were lightly dusted in pink, her lips were painted a soft berry color. Her hair had been curled and coifed, and strategically pinned with jeweled clips to frame her face.

But her dress… now that was really something. If she didn't know any better, she never would have guessed she might be almost eight months pregnant with twins. The extra layers and ruffles didn't look like they were trying to hide anything, but rather than they were just part of the organic design of the dress. The draped fabric that fell from her bust line and connected to what she really hoped weren't real diamond bracelets, melded in perfectly when she kept her arms down. The embroidery and beading drew the eye away from her midsection. Even her cleavage that felt so exposed didn't look nearly as bad as she thought initially. A pair of elbow length black gloves completed the look and covered her robotic hand.

"Damn," Anakin breathed, turning from side to side to catch herself at every angle. Even from the side, she still didn't really look pregnant. She saw Padme and Stav grin even wider in the reflection of the mirror.

"I told you you wouldn't even recognize yourself." Padme said with a delighted smirk.

Anakin turned and smiled at her husband. She might just pull this off. She might make it through the night without anyone realizing she's pregnant. Perhaps the last three hours of torture would actually pay off.

They all jumped slightly as the door chime rang.

"That'll be Obi-Wan. Right on time." Padme said absently, turning and looking through the dressing room wall towards the general area of the front door. "I'll go get him. Stav, you make any final adjustments."

Padme rushed out of the room. Anakin could sense his excitement over his success at dressing his wife appropriately for the Gala. She held back a sigh and let Stav fuss and make his final adjustments before she stepped out of the dressing room a minute later.

Obi-Wan audibly gasped when Anakin made her entrance. "Wow, I almost didn't recognize you, Anakin."

Anakin shrugged and walked over. "That seems to be the theme of this get up." She looked Obi-Wan over briefly. He was in formal Jedi robes. She was insanely jealous. At least he was going to be comfortable for the evening.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Anakin shrank away from the door of their transport. She could already see and sense the flurry of activity from the holonet reporters from here. They were swarming guests of the Gala as they made their entrance. She'd never be able to make it in quietly. Someone would see! And even if they couldn't tell she was pregnant, there would be endless pictures of her all trussed up. Her troopers watched the holonet when they had the time. Her men would see her looking so ridiculous. She'd never be able to face them again!

"I don't think I can do this," she muttered weakly.

Obi-Wan shot her a surprised look. "Anakin Skywalker, backing down?" he asked, in exaggerated shock.

"This isn't a fight!" Anakin insisted. She gestured out the windows as their transport inched forward in line. "This is something far worse!"

"You've never had an issue with the media before."

"Before I was dressed respectably in Jedi robes. Not traipsing around looking like some gaudy, glittering princess!"

Obi-Wan laid a hand on Anakin's bouncing knee. "You look fine, Anakin. You look very elegant."

"I look ridiculous," Anakin huffed. "I should have come with Senator Amidala. At least then this get up would have made a little sense."

"Oh yes, because _that_ wouldn't get the gossip mils running," Obi-Wan scoffed lightly. "Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker attends Gala in designer dress with popular Senator."

Anakin sighed heavily and dropped her head into her hand. She already had a headache, her back and feet hurt, and she was already tired. "This is going to be the worst night ever," she moaned.

"It could be worse," Obi-Wan offered.

"I actually don't think it could."

"You could be Master Windu, and out on a mission with Jar-Jar."

Anakin couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "I guess you're right. It _could_ be worse."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Anakin tried to not look _too_ bored and miserable as she sat at her table with her chin resting on one hand. The band had struck up some music after dinner, people had moved away from their tables to dance and mingle. Anakin didn't do dancing or mingling, and she was trying to decide which genius she had to strangle for making her attend this stupid Gala. She shifted uncomfortably as one of the twins decided now was an opportune moment to stick their fist into her small intestine.

"Do try to look like you're not being tortured, Anakin," Obi-Wan stated dryly as he and Padme approached the table. Obi-Wan had two drinks in hand and handed over whatever weak pink, non-alcoholic punch that had been her drink of choice all evening.

"You'd be unhappy too if someone was using your intestines as a punching bag," she muttered darkly before taking a drink.

Padme winced sympathetically, but pulled Anakin up out of her chair. "Time will pass faster if you actually do some mingling."

Anakin pulled a face. "I need a stronger drink if you expect me to mingle."

Padme chuckled, but pulled her away from the table and into the crowd. Anakin reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged along while Obi-Wan went off to do his own mingling. She forced a semi-pleasant smile on her face while Padme bounced between groups. She offered automatic, neutral replies when people included her in the conversation. More often than not, several minutes passed in conversation before anyone actually _recognized_ Anakin. After the fifth time, Anakin was beginning to get annoyed.

"How much longer do we have to stay?" she moaned.

"There is an etiquette to these events, Anakin." Padme said admonishingly. "You have to wait until after the speeches before you can leave," he finished with a knowing smirk. Then he leaned in close and whispered in Anakin's ear. "As soon as that's done, we're going home and I'm going to savor every moment of taking that dress off you."

Anakin smiled widely. Maybe this night wouldn't be a total loss after all. "What about my babysitter?" she asked, nodding towards Obi-Wan from across the room where he was speaking with Shaak-Ti and Bail Organa.

"I'm sure you can come up with something convincing."

Anakin hummed thoughtfully, still smirking. "I'll come up with something. How long until the speeches?"

"They should be soon." Someone caught Padme's eye across the room. "There's Mon Mothma. I have to discuss something work related with her. I don't want to bore you, Ani. I'll be back in a couple minutes."

Anakin barely had the chance to say, "Oh, okay," before Padme disappeared into the crowd. She stood there awkwardly for a moment, suddenly feeling very isolated in the crowded ball room. She tapped her nail against her empty glass for a few seconds before deciding she needed a refill.

She wandered around to find a service droid who was carrying glasses of her choice drink for the evening. Once she had procured a refill she took herself off to a corner to wait for her husband and avoid unwanted conversation.

Unfortunately, that simply wasn't going to happen. She found a small standing table and set her drink down. Her back was really starting to hurt. She rolled her shoulders and pressed a thumb into a tight spot in her lower back. She stopped when she sensed someone was looking for her.

"General Skywalker?"

She turned to the speaker with a small, tense smile on her lips. "Yes?" She recognized the man from her time with the Chancellor. He was heavily involved with the Special Weapons Group, but she had to search for his name. She didn't recognize the other man nor the woman who accompanied him. "Orson Krennic, it's a pleasure to see you."

Krennic extended his hand and Anakin shook it. "I almost didn't recognize you."

"That seems to be the theme of the night." Anakin smiled tightly. "I lost a bet and had to trade out my Jedi robes for the night."

"I see…" Krennic turned to his companions. "Allow me to introduce my friends; Galen Erso and his wife Lyra."

Anakin perked up at their names. They were familiar to her, but she had never met them in person. "Erso? The same Ersos from Vallt a few years back?"

"The very same," Lyra confirmed with a tight smile echoing Anakin's.

Anakin sensed that this was a subject Lyra didn't want to reflect on for too long. She scrambled to find another subject to talk about. Fortunately, she was spared by Krennic taking charge of the conversation.

"Galen has recently agreed to join me in my work with the Special Weapons Group."

"Oh, are you interested in weapons development?" Anakin asked. She didn't want to launch into a long conversation about theoretical weapons. She heard enough of that when Krennic met with the Chancellor. But… she couldn't exactly tell them to leave her alone either.

"Somewhat," Galen explained with a small shrug. "We used to do research on kyber crystals. The Weapons Group is interested in our research."

Anakin wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. Kyber crystals were sacred to the Jedi, they were strongly attuned to the Force. However, there were more kyber crystals in the galaxy than the Jedi could ever dream to use. They had the potential to become incredible power sources if non-sensitives could learn to harness their power. And… it wouldn't be a completely terrible idea if they figured out how to weaponized kybers to use against the Separatists. They could turn the tide of the war if it continued to drag on as it had been. Then again, perhaps there were some things that shouldn't be tampered with.

"That sounds like an interesting line of work," she said neutrally.

Fortunately, she was saved from any further small talk by Padme's arrival. She was very grateful that Padme was more skilled at mingling and small talk than she was. She gladly took a more passive role in the conversation. Still, it quickly became obvious that Krennic wanted to impress her. It wasn't surprising. She spent an inordinate amount of time with the Chancellor these days. He wasn't the first brown-noser of the evening, and if they stayed much longer he probably wouldn't be the last either. Still, by this time of the evening her tolerance was reaching an all-time low.

Then, blessed Fate smiled upon Anakin. The music faded and on the far side of the room, a very stuffy looking older man stepped up to the microphone. He cleared his throat and pulled a small paper from his jacket pocket as the chatter died down.

"If you'll excuse us," Padme said quickly before the speech started. "I believe Master Kenobi is trying to get our attention." Padme looped his arm through Anakin's and led her deeper into the crowd. They sidestepped couples and clusters of people as the speaker droned on until they snuck up on Obi-Wan.

"I have had just about all I can handle of this tonight," she muttered quickly, keeping her voice low. "Once the speeches are done I'm going home."

Obi-Wan shot her a slightly pleading look. "Take me with you, please."

Anakin gasped. "Master Kenobi, are you shirking your duties as a member of the Jedi Council?" she teased with a disappointed shake of her head. "How disappointing. I believe that etiquette dictates that you must stay for the entirety of the event."

"Then why are you leaving early?"

Anakin flashed a wicked smirk, knowing she had the perfect reason. "Being pregnant does have its privileges. Do you really want me to list all the awful, uncomfortable things going on when we are in polite company?"

"No." Obi-Wan sighed, "That's not fair, _you_ can leave early."

Anakin maintained her smirk. "Life isn't fair."

Any further comment Obi-Wan had was cut off as the speech ended and polite applause filled the room. A second speaker came up to the microphone, but her speech was short and sweet. As soon as it ended, Anakin clapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder before she made a break for the door.

At last she was free!

All she needed was to grab a transport and head home. Padme would be following in a matter of minutes.


	7. Chapter 7

A sort of Coda for Chapter 21 of Wells. More of an alternate perspective than a true Coda.  
Basically I saw something somewhere (and I don't even remember where anymore) about dream sharing in another fandom and my stupid brain said "Chapter 21 needs more pain. Throw Ahsoka into the mix and have her aware of what's happening."  
Also, I just wanted an excuse to write our favorite little ex-Jedi because I kinda hate myself for not deciding to make Wells a happy fix everything fic where Ahsoka gets to come back.

Anywho, I hope you all enjoy this!

-Becks

PS - this may be the last Echos update for a while, because the remaining pieces I have are mostly Original Trilogy spoilery as to how the remainder of Wells plays out. I have a couple tiny drabbles I may or may not post, but I figured I'd just give you a heads up.  
PPS - I am still open to prompts and suggestions if case anyone wants to see more from this universe.

* * *

.

 **Dream Sharing**

.

Ahsoka knew she was dreaming almost immediately. The grassy plain she stood in definitely wasn't Mandalore. The knee-high grass was far too lush and green for it to be near winter, and the breeze that caressed her cheeks held none of the biting chill she had grown accustomed to. Ahsoka turned around slowly, taking in her surroundings, and deciding if this was a planet she knew or some fabricated dreamscape.

The grassland covered gently rolling hills that gradually grew into a low mountain range. The tops weren't even covered in snow. She could also see a small, crystal clear pond lying before her; its cerulean waters lapped gently against grassy banks.

"It's Naboo" Ahsoka said aloud with a small smile on her lips. Not the worst place to dream about. She saw a couple of people around a copse of trees by the pond. They were too distant to identify, but they looked like two adult humans.

For some unknown reason, a wide smile plastered itself across her face and she took off jogging for the people. She was about 100 yards from the tree when the sound of small, running feet reached her. A great upwelling of warmth and love rose in her chest as she saw two human children running straight for her.

"Aun'Soka!" The blond haired boy called out. _Luke_ her dream brain identified.

"You're here!" His twin sister called, her dark hair flew freely behind her. She raced a few steps ahead of Luke.

Ahsoka dropped to one knee and held her arms open to hug the children. "Hello Leia!" she said as the girl crashed into her arms. Her brother was quick to follow. "Oof, Luke, hello to you too! Happy birthday!" She gave the children a quick squeeze before standing back up, resting her hands on top of their heads. "Stars, look at you two! You've gotten so big!"

"Not too big for a ride?" Luke asked unashamedly, tugging on Ahsoka's hand.

"You might be," she teased before going back onto one knee. "Let's see."

Luke happily jumped onto her back, looping his small arms around her shoulders. Ahsoka launched up again, bouncing Luke as she regained her footing. The child laughed gleefully as his arms tightened their grip. As soon as he was settled, Leia was pulling Ahsoka's hand towards the trees.

"C'mon, Mommy's waiting to see you."

"Alright. I'm coming." Ahsoka followed her, wondering who these dream children belonged to. She didn't know anyone who had younglings this age. And she was pretty certain she didn't know these younglings at all. Then again, it didn't really matter. It was only a dream after all.

They walked over a small hill and Ahsoka grinned wryly to see the two adults currently lip locked. A teasing remark passed her lips before she could stop it. "Oh gross, they're at it again. Shield your eyes children!" She quickly slapped her hands over the twins' eyes.

The children played along, and Luke even added gagging noises. The adults separated after one more unashamed smooch and Ahsoka finally identified them. Anakin and Padme!

Joy swelled Ahsoka's heart as she slid Luke off her shoulders and let Leia run free. She hurried forward to hug her friends. She was only a step away from Anakin when she realized she was obviously pregnant. Okay, so it was going to be one if _those_ dreams. Whatever. She was just happy to see Anakin happy. In recent months the dreams her former Master appeared in usually showed her to be distressed, unhappy, angry, or pained. This was a pleasant change and Ahsoka wasn't going to complain.

"When did this happen?" Ahsoka gushed, resting her hand on the swell of Anakin's belly.

"Oh, about six months ago. You'd know these things if you came to visit more than once a year, Snips." Anakin teased.

Ahsoka shrugged and an answer was ready on her tongue. She brushed it off with a comment about work keeping her busy. Padme had an equally teasing reply as he gave her a hug. She fell into conversation with Padme, discussing things she knew nothing about, but her dream-self did. After a minute Anakin disappeared with the children ( _her_ children according to the dream) and returned with Master Obi-Wan!

He took his time greeting Anakin and Padme and when it was finally Ahsoka's turn she couldn't resist pulling the Master into a bear hug. It was a dream after all, she wasn't confined to such social restraints as reality would entail. Though, she had half expected him to appear bald or clean shaven; changed in some way that would echo this dream's weird changes to Anakin.

It wasn't until more people appeared that Ahsoka began to harbor suspicions. Two older humans, a woman around Padme's age, and her children joined their party. Ahsoka knew she had never met these people before. Their faces weren't at all familiar and the way they embraced Anakin and Padme suggested they were family.

What was going on with this dream?

Ahsoka had always been a lucid dreamer, and she paused for a moment and tried to concentrate on the dream. She tried to will a clone to appear and join the party, but nothing changed.

The children ran off to play, the adults settled down to chat.

Ahsoka participated in the conversation when appropriate, but spent most of her time trying to change the dream. She tried little things, liked giving Anakin purple hair and making the nearby trees flower. She tried big changes, like making an entire squadron of Jedi starfighters appear in the sky. Nothing changed. Maybe this wasn't a normal dream. Maybe Ahsoka would have to resign herself to riding this one out. Then again... Ahsoka looked across the way and studied Anakin critically. Maybe this wasn't Ahsoka's dream.

She'd heard tales of Jedi who could walk through other's dreams -usually of species who were empaths or telepaths - but it wasn't unheard of for closely bonded Jedi to share dreams on occasion. But she and Anakin had never shared dreams before. And they weren't exactly "close" anymore. Ahsoka hadn't seen her former Master in close to a year. They hadn't spoken or even passed correspondence in so long, there was no logical reason for her to be sharing a dream with Anakin.

But... Ahsoka watched Anakin usher her son back to the other children, telling him to call them for lunch. She hadn't been the central character of the dream. Everyone was here for Anakin and her children. Ahsoka was just another player in this dream. That never happened. This had to be Anakin's dream.

Just as she was about to say something to her Master, a sudden darkness fell over Ahsoka. It hit so quickly it was like someone had thrown something over her eyes. Something cold and heavy and reeking of the Dark Side hit her like a full body blow. She stumbled backwards and tripped, landing hard on the ground. The darkness lifted as Ahsoka got to her feet. Tears burned in her eyes as she recognized her surroundings. She never thought she'd see the Temple again after her banishment.

But there was something wrong with her home. It didn't feel like the stable comfort she had known it to be. The air was rank with fear. The Force practically shook with wrath and terror. Ahsoka could hear screams and blaster fire. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran towards the sounds of battle. She skidded to a stop in a wide open room.

A dark cloaked figure stood on the other side. They were taller than Ahsoka, even from a distance she could see that, and they held a blue lightsaber at the ready. The figure approached her menacingly and Ahsoka slid into a defensive stance.

She was immensely relieved to find her lightsabers at her hip. Whoever's dream this was, at least their subconscious saw fit to arm her for the fight. The hilts fit perfectly into her hands and they ignited into the same, familiar green blades.

As soon as the dark figure saw Ahsoka was armed, they rushed forward, almost too quickly for Ahsoka to prepare for. She threw up a block just in time and blue clashed against green. They were locked for a second before the assailant broke away and stepped back. Ahsoka barely had time to readjust her stance and size up her opponent before they were attacking. They rained blow after blow on her with lightning fast Form IV. Ahsoka blocked and parried as best as she could. She'd spent countless hours sparring with Anakin and Obi-Wan. She knew Form IV and more importantly, she knew how to defend against it and turn the tide. But whoever this assailant was, they were too fast, too good. Ahsoka couldn't find the openings she needed to retaliate.

Whoever they were, they were good. Almost as good as Anakin when she really let loose. In fact...

Ahsoka barely stifled a scream as a swing nearly took her head off. She ducked just in time, but the blue blade singed one of her montrals. She cursed, but found a chance to escape the ceaseless attacks. Ahsoka leapt away from the attacker and used the brief reprieve to refocus. The attacker's identity didn't matter. And if she split her focus between identifying them and fighting she was going to lose her head.

The assailant leapt for her, but Ahsoka was ready this time. She parried the blows and even managed to get a few good swings in. For the first time, Ahsoka was making the assailant step back to avoid her blows. Ahsoka couldn't help the small flare of smug satisfaction as she landed several good attacks in a row. This assailant may be good, but she was better.

The thought had barely formed in her mind when the attacker's blade swung out. Ahsoka barely managed to avoid losing her hand entirely, but her shoto-hilt was sliced in two. Its pieces fell to the floor in a useless clatter. Panic flooded Ahsoka. She was a lot weaker at Form IV and with a single blade. She found herself losing ground quickly, doing all she could to fend off attacks. Ahsoka gradually realized that this was a fight she could not win.

Then, over the assailant's shoulder, Ahsoka saw a figure running towards them. _Anakin!_ Together she and her Master would more than enough to defeat this attacker. Ahsoka just had to last a little longer.

"You! Stop!" Anakin shouted.

That moment of distraction cost Ahsoka. The assailant hardly seemed to register Anakin's arrival. They drove their blade right into Ahsoka's gut. She choked and froze, acutely aware of the intense burning in her stomach and the numbness of the rest of her body. Ahsoka crumpled to the floor, maintaining her sight long enough to watch the assailant use the Force to send Anakin flying. She closed her eyes, waiting for death to take her.

.

Ahsoka jerked awake with a gasp, slapping away the hand that had been shaking her shoulder. Her hands flew automatically to her stomach, it was unburnt and whole.

"Kriff, it was only a dream," she muttered digging the heel of her palms into her tired eyes.

"Sorry to wake you, Commander, but it's time to go."

"Don't worry about it, Waxer." Ahsoka pulled herself to her feet, wrapping her warm cloak around her tighter. She had wedged herself into a corner of their temporary base – a bombed out mansion – while her troopers regrouped with the Mandalorians. They were making good progress in retaking the planet from the Separatists. Maul was gone again, but with Satine dead and the rest of the government split, freeing Mandalore fell into the hands of the people.

Ahsoka stifled a yawn and rubbed some warmth back into her chilled limbs. Night had fallen which meant she had to have slept for a few hours, but it certainly didn't feel like she had slept at all. She blamed it on that dream... or _was_ it a dream. The more she thought on it, the more it began to feel like a vision, but... not _her_ vision. That made absolutely no sense. Jedi couldn't share visions, could they? Ahsoka shook away the thoughts. Now was not the time to get lost in Force Philosophy. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Are you alright Commander?" Waxer asked with a concerned tilt of his helmet. "You look troubled."

"Just a weird dream is all." Ahsoka assured him.

Dreams and visions and whatever the hell she had just seen didn't matter right now. She had a war to win. But, Ahsoka promised herself, when Mandalore was free she would return to Coruscant. Master Obi-Wan had told her to come back and see Anakin. She certainly had a lot of questions about Anakin's supposed "secret assignment" with the Chancellor that Master Obi-Wan couldn't answer. It had been nearly a year… maybe it was time to face her old Master again.


	8. Chapter 8

This is definitely one of those scenarios I wish I had thought of when I wasn't already 15 chapters deep into Wells, but alas... I was not going back to rewrite the beginning to somehow fit this in. I don't know how, but I somehow forgot between futzing around with the Inhibitor Chip potential intro and posting 15 chapters of Wells that the 501st had an established Medic character. And I gotta apologize to Kix, because I love medics and I completely forgot about him until I was watching through a random handful of TCW episodes. (Dishonor on me. Dishonor on my cow. Dishonor on my whole family!)

Anywho, I wasn't originally going to post this little bit. But the next chapter of Wells is being uncooperative, so I gave this a quick look over and decided it was okay to post.

Chronologically, this takes place a week or so before Ringo Vinda and the Inhibitor Chip snafu.

Content warning for vomiting and discussions of abortion.

Thanks all for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

-Becks

* * *

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 **Flickers**

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Anakin was still having a hard time coming to terms with reality.

She was pregnant.

Actual, honest to gods, pregnant.

She had spent the last four weeks terrified; expecting that tiny, little life force she sensed to flicker out. She had expected her period to come and wash away her fears. Mygeeto hadn't exactly been easy on her body. Delicately balanced little lifeforms weren't supposed to survive the beating she had taken. If only she had sensed it before she ran into battle… she would have done things differently, she could have avoided so much anxiety. Four weeks of agony just waiting for this thing inside her to die. Refusing to reach out to it in the Force and begin bonding with it.

But it hadn't faded. It hadn't gone away. It had only grown stronger. It had outlasted any others. Now Anakin didn't know what to do.

She was a Jedi knight. A general. A key player in the war. She was barely past 23 years old. She couldn't have a child!

But she was also a wife; she couldn't _not_ have this child. Already, she loved it so much. It was hers, it was Padme's. And it was strong enough to last this long

But she was beginning to show symptoms.

Anakin's hands tightened spasmodically on the sink basin. The water was running, and she was trying to wash the taste of vomit from her mouth. She had barely made it to the refresher in time.

Obi-Wan would be coming any moment now to check on her. It wasn't normal for her to run out of strategy meetings without explanation.

A sudden upwelling of emotion hit Anakin, and she gripped the sink tighter as she ship seemed to lurch beneath her feet. They were supposed to go on another mission. They were supposed to be running headfirst into battle in the morning. Could she really put her child in danger like that?

Could she really not go into battle though?

Anakin choked back her tears and splashed water on her face. Getting caught crying would definitely raise too many suspicions.

She dried her face on a towel just as a soft knock came from the other side of the door.

"Anakin, are you alright?"

Anakin drew one last deep breath and turned off the water. "I'm fine," she called through the door.

"What's wrong?"

For a brief moment, Anakin desperately wanted to open the door, pull her oldest friend into the small fresher, and tell him everything.

Everything was wrong! She was pregnant. She was terrified. She was in the middle of a war, and suddenly she couldn't do her duty. She wanted to break down and have Obi-wan comfort her like he had so long ago on those nights when she missed her mother.

But she couldn't. Obi-Wan was no longer a young knight who had recently lost his own Master, friend, teacher, and confidant. Anakin wasn't a little girl who had left behind everything she knew and loved.

They were both beyond the time of hugs and comfort.

So she steeled her voice and strengthened her shields. "Nothing." She opened the door and offered her friend a shrug. "When you gotta go, you gotta go."

Obi-Wan didn't buy it for a second. He crossed his arms and leveled her with a steady gaze. "Anakin."

She wilted, and mimicked his posture with her own defensive crossed arms. "I just threw up. Okay? Not a big deal. It happens."

"Not to you it doesn't."

Anakin inwardly flinched and cursed her own, strong immune system. "Maybe it was something I ate. Just don't tell anyone else, alright? I don't want to be stuck in sick bay for this next battle. It's too important."

"But if you are sick, Anakin, you shouldn't be in battle."

"I don't _get_ sick, Obi-Wan," Anakin huffed. "If it happens again I'll go to med bay, okay? Now come on, we've gotta get back to the meeting."

Truthfully, she had absolutely no intention of stepping foot in med bay if she could avoid it. Med droids had too many scanners, and medics could be nosy. Who knew what they might pick up?

No one could ever know.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Kix might have been trained as a combat medic, but that didn't mean he lacked an understanding of other branches of medicine. And he certainly wasn't an unobservant idiot, as General Skywalker must think he is.

It didn't take a genius or a Coruscanti medical degree to run a person's symptoms through a med database. All it took was the proper medical clearance codes. And the General wasn't nearly as subtle about her symptoms as she thought she was. True, most of her men hadn't noticed, but Kenobi and Rex had both individually come to him with concerns about her. For the General's sake, Kix had assuaged them with an assurance to check on her, and offered them empty assurances that it was probably nothing.

He knew it wasn't "nothing."

Over the three years Skywalker had been his General, these particular symptoms had arisen four times. Once was an accident; twice, a coincidence; three and more, a dangerous pattern.

 _Kriff_ , if she needed a prescription or an implant Kix would have been able to get them. He could be discrete. Nobody would even know he had ordered her these things. He was her medic. He was ethically bound to hold her confidence.

She knew this! So why didn't she trust him?

Even worse, these "problems" never lasted more than a month or so. Obviously, she was taking matters into her own hands. Who knew what kind of damage she was doing to her body? This cycle had to stop!

Kix had tried to bring up her little _problems_ before, but she either missed or ignored his implications. This time, he would not be ignored. He knew Skywalker had skipped dinner, claiming an upset stomach. He knew this was the third night she'd skipped. He knew this was a pattern that had repeated itself over the last two weeks.

Currently, Skywalker was in her quarters, alone, which was exactly where Kix wanted her. He stopped outside her closed door and pressed his finger to the intercom.

"General Skywalker, it's Kix." He announced. He released the button and moved back half a step. He'd give her a few seconds to respond. Nearly thirty passed before he tried the intercom again. "General, I _will_ use my medical overrides to get in."

He knew Anakin didn't care much for healers and medical types, but she usually listened to him. And she always responded to his threats. Kix counted another fifteen seconds and tried the door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked, so he punched in his override code and walked in to the sound of the General audibly retching through the closed 'fresher door.

Kix breathed a long sigh through his nose, ensured the door was locked behind him, dropped his med kit and the datapad he brought on the desk, and took position outside the refresher door. He waited until he heard flushing to announce his presence again.

His announcement was received by a stream of fluent curses, a quick running of water, and a sharp "thuk" followed by a hissed "ouch!"

Kix stepped back and put a neutral expression on his face. The door opened to reveal a glowering Skywalker, rubbing at her elbow.

"What do you want Kix?"

"I'm checking in on you, General."

"I don't need to be checked on. I was just taking a showwwerrr..." Anakin trailed off as the fib died on her lips.

Kix couldn't help but raise a curious brow. "Is that why you still have vomit in your hair, sir?"

Anakin gasped and her hand flew up to grope at the locks hanging by her face. A grimace passed through her when her fingers found the offending chunk.

"Shit," she hissed before turning back to the sink to wash it out. "Who told on me?" she demanded as she dabbed at her hair with a damp towel. "Was it Rex? I told him I was fine!"

"No, General, I came on my own accord."

"Why?" Anakin's tone was sharp; she bristled under Kix's eyes.

Clearly she was in a foul mood – Kix really couldn't blame her for that – but he'd dealt with fouler. And in matters of health, even he outranked her. This wasn't a discussion she could get out of by puffing up and hissing like and angry tooka.

"Obviously, you're unwell."

"It's just a bout of food poisoning. I'm fine."

"You've had food poisoning for two weeks?" That comment froze Anakin and she eyed Kix suspiciously. He had to admit, the look she gave him set his heart off a little faster. It made his instincts shout " _Danger!"_

"Maybe." She stopped and turned away to toss the soiled towel into her shower floor. "This last shipment of rations we've gotten have been atrocious."

Kix knew that wasn't true. Their rations had always been the same over the last three years. Freeze dried meals that had a rotating selection and a near endless supply of nutri-cubes. They certainly didn't taste good, but they weren't tainted. Otherwise their entire squadron would be sick. He swallowed his comments on the rations though, and decided to cut straight to the chase.

"General, you and I both know this isn't food poisoning. In fact, you've had this same problem before."

Anakin's look turned from suspicious to thunderous. "What are you implying, Kix?"

Threats hung heavily in her words, but Kix didn't back down. He was a medic; he had a duty to his brothers and his General to keep them in the best health possible. He would not be intimidated by Skywalker, even if her tooka-bristling had evolved into a full blown manka cat.

"General, I know you're pregnant. Again."

Anakin reacted faster than Kix could see. In the blink of an eye, he had gone from standing several feet away from Skywalker, to being slammed against the wall while the General snarled at him.

"What did you just say?!"

Kix gasped shallowly, trying to regain the wind Skywalker had knocked out of him. He was acutely aware of the immense pressure she was putting on his collar bone with her robotic hand. It would take little effort from her to truly break the obnoxiously fragile bone. A fractured clavicle wouldn't sideline him, but it'd be kriffing annoying and painful for several weeks! He just had to throw her off balance again.

"That's not exactly a denial, is it, sir?"

Anakin's face changed swiftly from raw fury to abject fear. "Shit," she breathed before releasing Kix. She repeated the curse over and over, dotting it with a few other choice swears, as she backed away. Kix could see her hands were visibly shaking as she ran them through her hair and sank unsteadily onto the bed. "How did you know?" she asked in a low, shaking voice.

"I _am_ your Medic, General. I keep track of more things than you'd probably notice."

"Like what?"

Kix barely had to search his memory for examples. "I know you're been nursing a sprained ankle for four weeks and haven't bothered to get it checked out. I know you overdosed on stims two months ago shortly after Commander Tano left because you didn't want to sleep. I know you sneak pain meds for the first two days of your cycle. I know you're been having on and off nausea and vertigo for the past three weeks, coinciding with you missing your cycle and med-stealing for the second month. And I know this has happened three times before. I know-"

The General shot him a venomously furious look and Kix quickly shut his mouth. "You're too observant for your own good. You know that, Kix?" she growled.

"Perhaps, General." Kix swallowed the wave of nerves that rose up when he met Skywalker's eyes. "But, I also know that you've… gotten rid of the previous ones."

"Gotten rid of them?" Anakin echoed, anger and pain clearly tinting her voice. "I haven't … I'd nev—" she cut herself off abruptly. Her hands clenched into fists and she glared down at her knees. "They've gone away on their own," she admitted quietly.

"But this one isn't; is it, General?"

"No, it keeps getting stronger."

Kix watched something break behind his general's eyes. The fight left her, her shoulders slumped, and for once, she actually looked at young and afraid as she should be. By galactic standard years, Kix was only a fraction of her age, but in levels of maturity, he had a good decade or so on her.

Anakin pressed her hands over her face and fell back against her bed, a long un-general-like groan escaping her lips. "What am I going to do, Kix?"

There was really one answer to that question. "If I've calculated correctly, General, there's still time for a chemical termination."

"Chemical termination?" Anakin echoed back, not moving from her prone position, her face still covered with her hands.

"Most methods require you to take a short, two to three day regiment of pills. I can requisition them discretely. Nobody else would know, or suspect."

Anakin sighed explosively and finally moved her hands from her face. Her right arm fell to the side, but her left hand moved over her lower abdomen. "And what if I don't want to get rid of it?" she asked so quietly, Kix almost didn't hear her.

"I'm afraid that's not a possibility, General."

"Why not?"

"You can't fight a war while you're pregnant." The reasons were obvious, and Skywalker definitely knew why she couldn't be pregnant in the middle of a war. But he kept his voice patient, and his face calm. Nobody liked to think rationally when they faced an emotional decision. "Hypothetically, if you were to go through with it, I would immediately have to report you. You'd be removed from command and the front and sent back to Coruscant. The 501st would be assigned a new general. And I'm nearly certain that General Kenobi would suffer an aneurysm when he discovered you were pregnant."

That final statement raised a small reaction from Skywalker – a short puff of air exhaled through her nose. Kix couldn't be sure if it was a laugh, a scoff, or huff; Skywalker kept her face turned away from him.

"There's really only one option, General, and it isn't seeing this pregnancy through. Perhaps… after the war…" Kix trailed off, knowing whatever words he might have tacked onto the end would do nothing to help.

A heavy silence filled the room while Anakin mulled over her options. Kix didn't push her; if she needed time to accept the inevitable, he'd give it to her. That being said, he wasn't leaving this room until she agreed to his treatment. This wasn't something that was up for argument.

Several minutes passed before Anakin stirred. She sat up slowly, a grim, determined look on her face, anger furrowed her brown. "Alright, Kix, listen carefully. Here's what we're going to do."

.

.

"Hey, Kix, wake up!"

The medic flinched away from the hand shaking his shoulders roughly. He sat up with a gasp and cast around for a second before fully waking up. He squinted in the bright lights of his small office – more like an unused closet – and looked at the other clone

"Vin?" he asked blearily, finally finding the identifying tattoos that crawled along his jawline. "What time is it?"

"Nearly 0700. We're prepping to move out." Vin raised a brow at the deep indentations left on Kix's face from resting his head on his armored arms. "Did you sleep here last night?"

"Must've" Kix muttered, rubbing a kink out of neck. "Guess I crashed in the middle of my research." He picked up the datapad that had been lying beside him and his medkit.

"Not the most comfortable place to sleep, but at least you got some rack time." Vin chuckled, "I could hardly sleep last night. What were you reading? Maybe it'll put me out too."

"I don't remember…" Kix mused, mostly to himself. He flicked on the datapad, expecting to see whatever the last page he'd been reading. Instead he was greeted with the default, blank screen. The medpad was blank. "Must not have been that important, I didn't get very far." He flashed the empty pad to Vin.

"Ah, if it was, it'll come to you, brother." Vin clapped Kix on the back and steered the medic towards the door. "But you've got to hurry up. Rex has spent the last half hour looking for you."

Kix swore sharply underneath his breath. "It is late, isn't it? I can't believe I overslept like that." He snatched up his medpack and hurried for the door, with Vin close on his heels, giving a rundown of what he'd missed while he snoozed.


	9. Chapter 9

This was The very first thing I ever wrote extra for Wells and what ultimately made me decide to out Echos together. It was just a sweet, extra little piece that I couldn't really fit into the main story, but I was not going to let it never be seen. And 9 chapters later, we're finally here.

This can be potentially spoilery is you haven't read up to Chapter 24 in Wells of Silence. But also, the fic's summary kinda contains the same amount of spoilers, so if you're behind, I wouldn't worry.

For bonus feels, go ahead and listen to Billy Joel's Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel). It was a) the inspiration for this bit, and b) without plagiarizing, the basic gist of the lullaby in this.

I hope you all enjoy!

-Becks

* * *

" _Someday we'll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on. They never die, that's how you and I will be."_

-Billy Joel; _Goodnight My Angel_

 **.**

 **Lullabies**

Padme was awakened by a strange sound his sleep addled brain couldn't quite identify. He rolled over to see if Anakin had heard the same noise, but the other side of the bed was empty. Padme sat up, rubbing at his eyes, and checked the time. It was just before 3am. He got out of bed and pulled a robe on as he walked to the nursery.

As he approached, he identified the noise. Anakin was singing – well half-singing. She seemed to have forgotten some of the words of her song and filled in the blanks with humming. Padme stopped in the doorway and watched for a moment. She held both twins as she rocked in the chair and crooned a sweet, yet melancholy tune to them in a language he didn't know.

It went on for several more minutes. Anakin didn't acknowledge Padme, and he didn't see a reason to interrupt. Eventually the twins fell asleep, and Anakin placed them back into their cribs. Only after she had them settled in did Padme break his silence.

"I didn't know you could sing, Ani."

His wife started and whipped around. Apparently she hadn't noticed Padme standing in the door for the last five minutes. A blush crept onto her cheeks. "I can't," she muttered, walking out of the nursery.

"I would say differently," Padme teased gently as they walked back to the bedroom.

"I'm basically tone deaf," she protested.

"It was beautiful, Ani. What was it?"

"An old lullaby from Tattooine..."Anakin trailed off and didn't say anything else until she was back in bed and curled up with Padme. "My mother sang it to me when I was little… I've forgotten most of the words…"

Padme wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I'm sure they'll come back to you. I don't remember most of my old lullabies either. But I don't think the kids will mind if we make up some of the words."

"No, they probably won't." Anakin hummed happily in agreement and snuggled deeper into her husband's arms. It didn't take long for either of them to fall back to sleep.

.

 **~*~Twenty-Five Years Later~*~**

.

Luke Skywalker smiled awkwardly down at his unhappy nephew. Leia had sprung this impromptu babysitting session on her brother; all but dropping Ben into his arms, throwing a bag at him and promising she'd be back in a couple hours. Apparently there was some New Republic emergency or something.

Luke hadn't minded, he loved spending time with Ben, and he didn't get to see his nephew nearly often enough. Had it really been six months since his birth? It only felt like a few weeks to the Jedi.

Ben had been upset initially, but calmed once he got used to his uncle's presence. Luke had tried everything he could think of to keep Ben happy. But Force lifting small objects and making them dance could only keep an infant entertained for so long. Eventually, the crying started again, and little tricks weren't helping. Ben wasn't hungry and didn't need changing. Maybe he was tired.

Luke wracked his brain for any lullabies he remembered. One came immediately to mind with the memories of his aunt and uncle singing him to sleep. He hadn't heard the song since he was probably four or five, but the tune was still fresh in his mind and the words followed quickly after.

Luke tried not to cringe too much as he "sang" for his nephew. He was, admittedly, completely tone deaf, but Ben didn't seem to mind. His nephew settled and closed his eyes as Luke lulled him off to sleep repeating the same three pitchy verses.

He almost didn't notice Leia's return.

"Where did you hear that song?" his sister asked eyes wide and slightly confused.

Luke shrugged and handed over his sleeping nephew. "Owen and Beru used to sing it to me. It's an old Tattooine lullaby. Though, I think I just butchered it beyond recognition."

"I know that song…" Leia said, unsure.

"Did your parents know it? Or one of your caretakers?"

"No."

Luke looked away from his sister as the next explanation made itself clear. He knew Leia's feelings on their true parentage. "Maybe… maybe Anakin sang it for us before…"

Leia pursed her lips, and glared at her brother. "I doubt it. I don't think maternal instinct was one of her strong suits. And we were only there for a month. You're probably right and you just butchered your song so much it sounded like something else."

Luke shrugged placatingly. "Probably, but Ben didn't seem to mind."

Leia breathed a laugh and quirked a smile at her brother. "No, it looks like he rather enjoyed it. Usually he doesn't like being sung to sleep. Only Chewie can actually manage that."

Luke tried not to wince too obviously as he chuckled. "I'm just going to take that as a compliment."

"You probably should," Leia laughed back. She stopped, and froze immediately when Ben shifted and whined in her arms. "Ahh, I didn't want to wake him up," she whispered, slightly panicked as she gently rocked him back to sleep.

It didn't work. Ben woke fully, and after a moment of smiling back at his mother, he realized he was still tired and therefore had to cry about it.

"Yeah, I know. Your nap wasn't long enough," Leia soothed as she tried to get him to calm down. "But you know what? Your Uncle Luke is going to sing you that song again. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Luke took Ben back into his arms, ignoring the "sing or I'll make you hold him until he stops crying" look his sister was giving him. He cleared his throat, and began the song again for his nephew.


	10. Chapter 10

Now that Wells is finished, I can come back to updating Echos again!

The next few chapters are going to be looks at how the OT movies and maybe the ST movies would be different in the Wells universe. These won't be a complete reiteration or rewriting of the whole movies. I've just taken some select scenes from the trilogies to look at how different certain elements would be.  
And yes, I will get to Rebels eventually, but I need a rewatch of the series before I finish up that piece, so it will come later.

Don't forget, if you have a request or something, here is the place to ask.

I hope you all enjoy!  
-Becks

* * *

 **.**

 **A New Hope**

.

.

Luke was pretty certain his life had peaked at the bottom of a pit. He had no future, nothing to look forward to, just scraping a pitiful life out of Tatooine's endless sands. With his friends all gone to bigger and brighter things off planet there was nothing to do, nothing to look forward to. He'd spend the rest of his life on this miserable dust ball, frying underneath the suns, with the only excitement to look forward to being fixing up the broken down droids they bought from the Jawas every few seasons.

Luke released a long sigh as he continued to scrub at Uncle Owen's latest acquisition of broken down droids. Truth be told, they were probably in the best shape any of the Jawas' droids had ever been in. His uncle must have had a bit of luck that they were next on the Jawas' rotations; otherwise droids like these would have been snatched up immediately. Really, any damage seemed to be superficial. The fussy protocol droid had sand locking up his joints, and the R2 unit had a few black marks from carbon scoring.

Okay, there was _a lot_ of carbon scoring. It was going to take forever to get this droid cleaned. He was truthfully only half listening to the protocol droid as he rattled off a long complaint about the space battles he and his counterpart had been in recently. So much for getting back to Anchorhead to see Biggs off before he left again.

This _sucked_.

Luke nearly dropped his pick when the R2 unit suddenly produced a hologram. A small blue form of a pretty young woman stood on the garage floor. There must have been a bug in the recording because she only repeated the same line.

" _Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope_."

Luke couldn't help but stare. Even in the fuzzy hologram, the woman was beautiful and he felt somewhat mesmerized by her. He had to see the whole message. It might be an old recording, but it might also be new. That girl could need his help! And the name Kenobi was familiar.

The protocol droid translated that the R2 unit thought removing they restraining bolt would access the full recording. Luke pried off the bolt, only to exclaim unhappily when the hologram disappeared completely. The R2 unit denied knowledge of a recording. It must have a glitch in its programming.

Luke heaved a sigh while the protocol droid scolded his counterpart. He reached for a screwdriver to get under the astromech's plating when he heard his aunt calling him for dinner. He tossed the screwdriver to the protocol droid and hurried to wash up.

Luke slid into his seat silently across from his aunt and uncle. Beru offered him a warm smile. Owen was already shoveling stew into his mouth.

"You know, I think that Artoo unit might be stolen," Luke ventured cautiously, as he served himself some food.

"What makes you say that?" Owen asked, rather unconcerned as he barely paused eating.

"While I was cleaning him I stumbled across an old recording and he seems to think he belongs to an 'Obi-Wan Kenobi.' I thought he might be talking about Old Ben."

Luke didn't miss the pointed look Beru shot Owen when he mentioned the name of the droid's supposed owner. Owen shook his head and hummed tersely through a mouthful of food.

"I wonder if he might be a relative or something," Luke added.

"That wizard's just a crazy old man. You stay away from him," Owen said in a tone that very much sounded to Luke like an order. "Those droids belong to us. Tomorrow I want you to take them to Anchorhead and get their memories wiped."

"But what if the owner comes looking for him?"

"I don't think he exists anymore. He probably died about the same time as your mother."

"He knew my mother?" Luke asked, suddenly excited. He nearly knocked over his glass as his hands clenched in excitement. His uncle never talked about his parents!

Owen fixed Luke with a tired, stubborn look. This argument was nearly nineteen years old, and he had long grown tired of shunting Luke's questions off. "I told you to forget it."

"But-"

"Your mother was a foolish, careless woman, Luke!" Owen snapped. "She abandoned you here to go gallivanting off around the galaxy and she went and got herself killed. Are those the footsteps you want to follow?"

"No, sir." Luke looked down at his plate, trying to hide the angry flush on his cheeks. Why was it such a crime to want to know more about his parents?

"Then forget about her. She's dead and talking about ghosts doesn't bring them back. The only thing you should worry about it getting those droids ready for tomorrow."

Luke caught his aunt's eyes while Owen continued issuing orders. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Beru kept her lips sealed, so Luke tried a different tactic. He picked at his food casually. "I think those new droids are going to work out great for us. In fact, I … I was thinking about our agreement; about me staying on another season." Luke saw Owen's eyes narrow at him, but he was determined to say his piece. "And if they do work out I want to transmit my application to the academy this year."

"You mean next semester, before the harvest? Luke, the harvest is when I need you most!"

"I know, but there's plenty of droids," Luke countered, but his uncle cut him off.

"Next year Luke. After this harvest, we'll have enough that I can hire some extra hands to help with the harvest." He paused briefly and tried to continue in a softer tone. "It's only one more season."

"But it's a whole 'nother year!"

"I need you here, Luke. It's _only_ one more year."

Luke huffed and stood up, letting his fork drop onto his plate. "Yeah that's what you said when Biggs left," he muttered, walking away from the table.

"Luke, where are you going?" Beru asked.

"Looks like I'm going nowhere!" Luke spat before storming off towards the garage. As he walked away he heard his aunt finally speaking up in his defense.

"Owen, you know Luke's not going to be happy here. He's just not a farmer. There's too much of his mother in him."

By the time Owen responded, Luke was too far away to distinguish words, but from the tone he could tell his uncle wasn't happy.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

"Ben?" Luke asked blearily as the old man helped him sit up. "Ben Kenobi? Boy am I glad to see you."

"The Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly. What brings you so far out here, Luke?" Ben asked, helping Luke limp over to a boulder.

"This little Artoo unit; he's desperate to find his old master. I've never seen such devotion in a droid before." Luke rubbed at a sore spot on the back of his head. That was going to raise a good sized lump later. "He's looking for an Obi-Wan Kenobi… I thought he might be a relative of yours."

"Obi-Wan…" Ben leaned back slightly and rubbed at his chin. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

"I think my uncle knows him. He says he's dead."

"Oh, he's not dead," Ben paused and a slight quirk pulled at his lips. "Not yet at least."

"Do you know him?"

"Of course I do, he's me."

Luke could only respond with a very confused look, but R2 chirped quite happily at his side.

"I haven't gone by the name of Obi-Wan since, oh, around the time you were born."

"Well, this Artoo unit seems to think he belongs to you."

Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow at the astromech. "I don't seem to recall owning a droid."

Any response Luke had was interrupted by the distant, echoing cries of Sand People. They both shot to their feet. Obi-Wan's hand fell to a silver cylinder at his waist. Luke hardly had a chance to wonder what it was before the old man had it covered with his robe again.

"We should leave. The Sand People will be back and in greater numbers," Obi-Wan cautioned.

"Right," Luke breathed as he hurried to collect C-3P0's pieces.

Despite the droid's protesting, and pleas to leave him behind and save themselves, Luke and Obi-Wan managed to get him into the speeder, along with R2. Ben navigated them back to his little hovel. It wasn't much, enough room for one, a few small evaporators and collectors on the roof, and a small garden of hardy plants had even been coaxed into growing on the shady side of the house. Within the hour, Luke had reconstructed his droid while Obi-Wan reminisced on the past. Luke tried to listen, but there were times when he lost track of the story when 3P0 had a particularly fiddly part that needed repairing.

"I was a general in the Clone Wars. I served alongside your mother."

Luke perked up instantly from his work on the droid's elbow. "You knew my mother?"

"Yes, she was a Jedi Knight, like myself."

Luke's brow furrowed and his lips pulled into a confused frown. "No, my mother was a freighter pilot."

"Well, she was a pilot, but she certainly did not fly freighters. Anakin Skywalker was the best pilot in the galaxy, a cunning warrior, and my closest friend." Obi-Wan turned a warm smile to Luke. A look of realization dawned on his face and he rose up, crossed the room, and began rummaging through a box. "I have something for you. She wanted me to give you this when you were older. But your uncle wouldn't allow it." Obi-Wan extricated a silver cylinder from the box and held it out to Luke. "He was afraid you'd follow old Obi-Wan on some damned fool crusade like your mother did."

Luke took it and turned it over carefully in his hand. It simultaneously felt heavy and light in his hand, and it seemed to warm as it rested in his palm. There were ridges that indicated a grip, and a button on one side. Luke ran his thumb over it and nearly dropped the thing when a pillar of blue plasma hissed to life right before his eyes. The blade hummed lowly in a way that seemed to move into his very soul. It was a strange sensation. The blade's resonance turned dissonant for a couple seconds, giving Luke some inexplicable feeling of _wrong,_ but the moment was fleeting. He gave it a few experimental swings.

"It's a lightsaber," Obi-Wan explained. "Not as clumsy or imprecise as a blaster. An elegant weapon from a more civilized age. It was the chosen weapon of the Jedi Knights, who protected and maintained peace throughout the galaxy for ages before the Empire came along."

Luke pressed the button again, and the blue blade disappeared back into the hilt. He immediately looked down where the blade had emerged from. It was nearly impossible to see through the small hole, but he thought he saw a glint of something that may have been glass or crystal when the light hit it just right.

"What happened to her?" Luke asked quietly. He was beginning to doubt the story Uncle Owen had told him of his mother leaving him in the care of Owen and Beru while she continued flying across the galaxy. "My uncle said she abandoned me."

Obi-Wan fell still and quiet for a moment. The lines on his face seemed to sink deeper as he reflected on painful memories. "She was killed by an agent of the Dark Side. An old student of mine known as Darth Vader assisted the Empire in hunting down and eliminating the Jedi, and thus began the dark times."

Luke swallowed any further comment he had, silenced by the deep pain in Obi-Wan's eyes. He didn't say anything until the old man roused himself a moment later. Obi-Wan walked over to R2 and gave him a sturdy pat on his domed head. "Now my friend, let's see what you have for us."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Amid a hail of blaster fire, Luke couldn't help but stop as his eyes were drawn across the hangar to where Obi-Wan and Darth Vader dueled. Vader simultaneous did and did not look like he expected an evil agent of the Empire to look like. He was tall, towering over Obi-Wan as he swung mercilessly with his blood-red saber. Clad in all black from head to toe, there was hardly any skin exposed except at his face. Scarred, knotted tissue climbed down the side of his face, twisting his right eye into a permanent glare, and disappearing underneath a heavy black mask that covered the entire lower half of his face.

Luke couldn't help but wonder what has caused such injuries, but he didn't get much time to ponder. The stormtroopers were still firing at them. He somehow managed to dodge a bolt that would have hit him square in the chest and returned fire. Leia and Han were already at the _Falcon_ , and he knew he needed to catch up, but he had to make sure Ben could get out alive.

The two seemed evenly matched. For every blow Vader threw at Obi-Wan he had a counter. Then there was a slight pause in their duel – Luke saw Obi-Wan's mouth move, but he was too distant to discern the words or meaning. Then Vader swung, and Ben couldn't – didn't? – block. His body fell.

Luke was screaming and Vader turned his gaze directly to him. An anger, blazing and righteous flared up in Luke, but at the same time an icy, petrifying fear sank right into his bones. Luke wanted to rush at Vader, attack him with everything he had! But his legs refused to cooperate while he held Vader's gaze.

Then the Princess was calling out to him, and Chewbacca joined in, howling after him as well. Vader looked away and the moment was shattered. The fire died down completely, and Luke was acutely aware of the danger he was in as stormtroopers continued to shoot at them. He turned and ran for the _Falcon_ , barreling up the ramp just as Han begin taking off. He stumbled into the cockpit still feeling a little numb as his legs gave out and dropped him into a chair. Leia gave his arm a gentle squeeze, meeting his eyes with her own, deeply sad brown eyes.

"He's gone… I can't believe he's gone."

"I'm sorry, Luke. Vader, she … she's a monster."

"She?" Han called out incredulously. He was still too preoccupied on flying them away from the Death Star to divide any more attention. "That thing in all black was a woman?"

"She used to be."

If Han was further shocked or confused by the Princess' words, he didn't say anything. He simply gave Chewie a quick order about the deflector shields before vaulting himself out of his seat. "C'mon, Luke, take a turret. We're not out of this mess yet."


	11. Chapter 11

Same drill as last time. Just a couple select scenes from ESB looking at how things would be different in this universe. I hope you all enjoy!

Don't forget, if you have a request or something, here is the place to ask.

I hope you all enjoy!

-Becks

* * *

.

 **The Empire Strikes Back**

.

.

"I have no doubt that this boy is the son of Anakin Skywalker."

Vader paused and collected herself before replying. "How is that possible?"

"Search your feelings. You know it is true."

Vader finally allowed herself to acknowledge that tug in her chest. A pull from a force she no longer recognized. It had been there since she first sensed that rebel pilot at Yavin IV – that boy under Kenobi's care at the Death Star. Fading on and off, but never leaving completely.

Of course she had wanted to catch the rebel. He destroyed the Death Star. He was strong with the Force and working with the Rebellion. He needed to be eliminated. With the failure of the Inquisitors, there was no one competent enough to seek out the Force Sensitives in the galaxy. So, when one came across her path, she couldn't let him go freely. There were some who would say she was obsessed with the boy. Vader's pursuit of the boy was purely a matter of duty.

And the Force was drawing her to the boy. For three years she had tried to ignore the tug towards that rebel pilot whenever their paths crossed. She had simply written it off as a connection to her former Master; a long forgotten bond that had worn off on the boy.

It never occurred to her that pull she was feeling was a completely different bond – forged in her womb, intricately twisted with another's, severed by death over twenty-two years ago.

But it hadn't, had it?

Rage coursed through Vader's veins, she clenched her shaking fists. Another betrayal of Obi-Wan's! Three years after she had struck him down he still had the power to strike back. She was grateful that she kept her head bowed, that her Master couldn't see the emotions on her face.

"Obi-Wan cannot help him now."

"He will destroy us. He is seeking training," Palpatine growled. "The son of Anakin Skywalker must not become a Jedi."

 _No!_ Her children were never supposed to become Jedi, even with all their natural tallents _._ She took a long, even breath. "He could become a powerful ally."

"Indeed, he would become a great asset. Can you persuade him to join us?"

"If not, he will die for his foolishness," Vader vowed.

Her Master's hologram faded away and Vader stood up. If Luke was still alive, that meant her daughter was alive as well. Where had Obi-Wan hidden Leia? She stopped cold, and nearly hit herself. Of course! It was so obvious. Her daughter had been hidden in plain sight. Organa's daughter! The princess!

IN the past, Vader had reflected on how the young senator turned rebel reminded her of Padme, and how her fire reminded Vader of her own youthful arrogance. She was the proper age, give or take a few months and that was an easy lie for the queen of Alderaan and her consort to forge. She had thought it no more than a coincidence that Organa had adopted a daughter so shortly after she lost her own. She believed it a homage to Padme when he named the baby after his friend's daughter.

All those years, and she had never noticed her own daughter glaring at her with those defiant brown eyes. Kenobi had certainly done a thorough job when he severed their bonds.

Rage burned in Vader's bones. Both her children were alive! She had never sensed it. Her Master had never sensed it! Or… perhaps he had and he withheld the truth from her. It wouldn't be the first time.

She had to get her children back. Luke first, he would be easy to pull over to the Dark Side. Leia had a lifetime of rebel indoctrination working against her. But if her brother was taken first, she would follow. That didn't mean, however, that she wouldn't start working on Leia.

Small weaknesses should be exploited while working for a larger goal.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Wind howled and pulled dangerously at the two figures who dared brave the narrow maintenance walkways of Cloud City. One figured fared the buffeting winds much better than the other.

Vader kept her stance sturdy as another gust attempted to send her off the edge. Luke had to readjust his footing as the wind knocked him off balance. Vader could see the red glow of her lightsaber reflected in his wide eyes. He was afraid; he knew he wasn't a match for her. Vader could end this in a matter of seconds if she truly wanted. But that wasn't her purpose here.

She wanted Luke to be afraid. She wanted him to reach the end of his rope. Only when he was desperate to save his own life would he consider joining her. There was too much of his father in him; too much of Padme's nobility, kindness, morality. Desperation would be the only way to turn him.

Already she could feel his pain and anger. He had been baited and drawn here by her actions. She had tortured his friend. She had threatened his sister. She had attacked him personally. It was only a matter of a little more goading before he was ready.

Vader swung her blade at Luke. He parried her strike and retreated a few more steps. He backed into the safety bars of the walkway. He was cornered. Vader swung again, Luke moved to block her, but he was sloppy. Before she could stop herself her blade swung clear through his arm.

Luke screamed in agony. His hand, still clutching his lightsaber – _her lightsaber –_ fell away. Vader growled, frustrated with the poor swordsmanship, but a little satisfied. With his mind clouded by pain, bringing him to the Dark Side would be even easier.

Luke cradled his severed arm to his chest, and looked around, desperate to get away. He began crawling along a beam that connected a harvester to the walkway. Vader let him retreat. There was only so far he could go.

"Enough of this foolishness, Skywalker," she growled, disabling her lightsaber. "You are strong with the Force. You have power, but you are untrained. I can teach you to harness your power."

"No!" Luke shook his head, and inched farther away. "Never!"

"Join me." Vader reached out for her son. "You have the power to destroy the Emperor. The Emperor himself has foreseen it. Together we can bring balance and order to the galaxy."

"Not _your_ order!" Luke reached the tower, and pulled himself unsteadily to his feet. "You're a murderer and a traitor!" he shouted back at her.

Vader dropped her hand. Obi-Wan had clearly corrupted the boy with his teachings. She wondered what Luke had been told of his parentage and couldn't resist probing that topic. "Obi-Wan never told you about your parents, did he?"

"He told me enough," Luke growled. "He told me your killed them!"

Vader laughed once, darkly. "I suppose I am responsible for your father's death. But I did not kill your mother."

"Then what did you do to her?"

Vader hesitated briefly. It was a gamble to reveal her true identity to Luke right now. He wasn't close enough to falling. But he was also short on family, and desperate for answers. It may be the push he needed to join her.

"Nothing," she stated simply, reaching up to her hood. She lowered it, letting the wind pull at her short hair. The unscarred portions of her face would be clearly visible, but that wouldn't be enough to convince her son. She slowly pulled off her respirator. Very few people ever saw her full face, but she wanted Luke to see her plainly. He had inherited many of her features, and he would recognize her. "Luke, I am your mother."

Shock and pain covered her son's face. He shook his head. "No… _no_!" he shouted. "That's impossible!"

"Search your feelings. You know it is true." Vader could already feel her lungs aching. They just couldn't handle the untreated air. It became harder to draw breath, and already she was wheezing and weakening. She slipped her mask back over her face. "Join me, Luke. We were together once, but you were taken from me. Obi-Wan _stole_ you from me. All this time, you should have been at my side. Reclaim your birthright. Together we can rule the galaxy!"

And he wanted to. For the briefest moment, her son wanted to join her – she sensed it – but it seemed that his annoying sense of honor overpowered his better judgement.

"No… you abandoned me!"

 _Abandoned?_ At that moment, Vader wanted to strike him down for daring to speak such lies! More corruption of Obi-Wan's … nothing she couldn't work out of him though. "No, Luke. You were in danger. I did everything to protect you. And Obi-Wan took you from me. I thought you had been killed!" She paused, and took a calming breath. She held out her hand. "But now it doesn't matter. You are here. We can be together again. Join me, Luke. Come back to your family."

"I'll never join you!" he screamed at her.

Not the response she wanted. It became clear that Luke was not going to join her, not this day. "Then you shall die." Vader reactivated her lightsaber.

Luke looked around frantically, trying to find an escape. But he was cornered. There was nowhere he could go. He shot her one last defiant look, and let go of the tower.

"No!" Vader hadn't been expecting that. Such foolishness, that he would rather face death than join her. He fell out of sight before she could act. Suppressing a wave of anger, she clenched her fist, deactivated her saber and turned away.

If her son was lost, then her daughter would be the next target. Vader would not lose both her children again.


	12. Chapter 12

Well, it's my birthday week, so you know what that means: Chapter Updates!

This week we're getting into ROTJ. Many more changes in dialogue this time around considering Vader's relationship with characters is much more prominent in this movie. Plus we get a main fic throw back. So it's all sorts of exciting!

As usual, I did not go through and do every single scene from the movie, just a selection of important ones.

I hope you all enjoy!

-Becks

* * *

.

 **Return of the Jedi**

.

.

Luke's brow furrowed as he regarded the shimmery ghost before him. As strange as it may be, Obi-Wan looked livelier now than he had when he was alive. It must have something to do with being one with the Force, a depth he knew would take him many more years to master. Luke laid a hand on R2's head and couldn't quite bring himself to meet his old Master's eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me Darth Vader is my mother?"

Obi-Wan drew a deep breath (Luke supposed some habits die hard) and sat down on a fallen tree trunk. "What I told you wasn't entirely incorrect, from a certain point of view."

"A certain point of view?" Luke echoed incredulously. "Uncle Owen told me she abandoned me. You said she had killed my parents. What really happened?"

A pained expression crossed Obi-Wan's face. Even after so long, Vader's betrayal still deeply hurt. "Your mother, Anakin Skywalker, was a brilliantly powerful Jedi, a gifted student, and my closest friend. But even still, she kept her secrets. It is against the Jedi code to form attachments, get married, and have children. It wasn't until after you were born that we even realized that she had a husband."

"What happened?"

"The pregnancy was difficult for her. Carrying a secret like that made her susceptible to dark influences. She grew paranoid that there was a plot to harm you or take you from her. In her attempts to protect you from these perceived threats, she turned to the Dark Side. When she did, Anakin Skywalker died, only Vader remained. I failed to see the darkness in her. I brought her wrath upon the galaxy."

"I _was_ taken from her then?"

"To protect you. Yes." Obi-Wan looked at Luke, but his gaze was many years away. "Emperor Palpatine wanted you in his clutches. I'm not sure whether he sought to harm you or corrupt you to the Dark Side, but he foresaw the power you could have." He blinked and focused back on Luke. "When your mother fell, your father went to see her. He thought he could bring her back. She attacked him, and he died from his injuries. I fought her and left her badly wounded, but to protect you from her and Palpatine I had to take you away. I hid you away on Tatooine, with her step-brother."

Luke looked down at the dirt between his boots. "I can't kill her." He muttered after a long moment. "She's my mother."

"Then the Emperor has truly won." Obi-Wan stated with sad finality. "You were our last hope."

"But… Yoda said there was another."

"He was talking about your twin sister."

"Twin sister..." Luke echoed weakly. He had a sister? A twin? How had he never been told this? Who was she? "Leia." He breathed, knowing as soon as he said it that he was right.

Obi-Wan nodded. "We had to separate you to keep you safe. Together, the Emperor or Vader would have found you."

Anger flushed through Luke suddenly. All these truths about him and his life that had been kept from him for so long! "Why didn't you tell me?" he said bitterly, glaring away from his mentor.

Obi-wan sighed sadly. "That was a failure on my behalf. I wanted to wait until your training was complete before I told you. I feared that telling you too soon would lead you to doing something rash, such as rushing off to face Vader before you were ready."

Luke pressed his lips together and clenched his right fist. The synth-skin made it look human, but the mechanisms would always feel foreign to him. "She's not gone. She tried to reach out to me at Bespin."

"The Dark Side thrives on deception, Luke. She would say anything to bring you to her side. Anakin Skywalker died twenty-three years ago. Only Vader remains."

"No, she's still there. There's still good in her. I _know_ there is."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Anticipation hung heavily over the forest, smothering the aliens waiting there. Things had settled into an amicable uneasiness between the Rebels and the Ewoks as each party prepared for battle. Those that could were sleeping; those that couldn't were prepping or walking the perimeter of the camp.

Luke stood alone on an empty bridge between trees, aware of the eyes on his back. He hadn't exactly been avoiding Leia, but at the same time... Leia knew something else was wrong other than just pre-battle nerves. He just needed to talk to her before he disappeared to face Vader.

She walked up beside him, her footsteps soft on the wooden planks of the bridge. "Luke, what's wrong?"

Straight to the point. Luke drew a breath and turned to face her. "Leia, do you remember your mother? Your birth mother?"

Leia frowned slightly at the unexpected topic, but answered. "No, she died shortly after I was born. But my parents told me about her."

"What did they say?"

She shrugged. "Not much, I don't think my father liked talking about it, but they always told me about how brave and strong she was and how much she loved those closest to her."

Luke looked away. Memories clashed in his mind: Owen told him that his mother was a selfish, careless woman; Ben said he had taken Luke from her to protect him; Vader claimed Luke was stolen. No one had yet to say that his mother was a brave or loving woman. "I never knew my mother," he admitted quietly. "My aunt and uncle never mentioned her."

"Luke, what's really bothering you?" Leia pressed, knowing this wasn't just Luke missing a woman who had never been in his life.

"Vader's here. On this moon."

"How do you know?"

"I can feel her presence when she's near. She's come for me. It's why I have to leave. She knows where I am and I'm endangering the whole mission. I have to face her."

"Why?" Leia was quick to ask, ready to shoot down whatever foolish, heroic ideas Luke had gotten into his head.

Luke found the words harder to say than he imagined. It had been one thing to say it to Ben, who already knew; it was an entirely different thing to say it to Leia and bring her reality crashing down around her. "She's my mother."

Understanding dawned on Leia's face slowly. At first she looked doubtful, expecting Luke to admit to the joke, but the troubled look on his face was too raw to be faked. "Your mother?" she echoed softly.

Luke nodded. "There's more, and it won't be easy for you to hear it, but you must." Luke spoke earnestly, determined to finish what h started. "If I don't make it back, you're the only hope the Rebellion has."

"Luke, don't say things like that!" Leia immediately insisted. "You have a power I don't have and could never understand."

Luke looked his sister dead in the eye. "You're wrong, Leia. You have the same power I do. In time, you'll learn to use it as I have." Luke looked down again. "The Force is strong in my family. My mother has it. I have it," again, he looked into Leia's eyes. "My sister has it."

Leia's face froze, caught between outright disbelief and horrified acceptance.

"It's you, Leia."

She blinked, her face melting into a not-quite smile. "I know. Somehow, I've always known."

"Then you know why I have to face her."

"No! Luke, I don't." she reached out and took her brother's hand. "If she can sense your presence then go far away from here. Leave this place and stay safe."

"You know I can't do that."

"Why not? She's a monster, she'll kill you!"

"I must face her. There's still good in her, I felt it. She won't turn me over to the Emperor. I can save her. I can bring her back."

Leia paused, and squeezed Luke's hand. "I wish I could go with you."

He cracked a half smile at her. "No you don't." He gripped Leia's upper arms. "You've always been strong, Leia, stronger than me. You belong here with the Rebellion."

"Do you really think she can be saved?"

"I have to try." Luke pulled Leia into a hug. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head before walking away quickly into the darkness. He couldn't stay. It he waited any longer, Han would try and talk him out of his plans.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Luke struggled through the passages of the Death Star. Everything had been thrown into utter chaos. The Rebels were turning the tide of the battle. The battle station was vulnerable! Nobody was going to waste their time trying to stop the boy dragging Vader's limp body along. If the idiot wanted to slow himself down with deadweight, that wasn't their problem. They wanted to get as far away from this inevitable death trap as they could.

Luke's strength finally gave out just as he reached the ramp of an empty shuttle. He just needed a brief moment to gather his strength before he pulled them into the shuttle. Vader – no, Anakin was wheezing, her respirator clearly damaged.

"Leave me here," she gasped, "Get out before the station is destroyed."

Luke shook his head insistently, and adjusted his hold on his mother so he cradled her awkwardly in his arms. "I'm not leaving you. We'll get out of here together."

Anakin furrowed her brow and reached up her shaking hand to her mask.

"Don't!" Luke said, pushing her hand away. "You need to breathe."

"It's too late for me. I'm tired of this thing." She ripped it away and Luke frowned at the fresh trickle of blood leaking from her mouth. Anakin huffed and a ragged laugh passed her lips. "You are so much like your father. You and your sister…" Anakin's body was wracked by several coughs. More blood buddle up. "I never deserved any of you."

"That's not true, Mother." Tears rolled down Luke's cheeks.

Anakin's mouth twisted into a frown and she reached up for her son. She wasn't supposed to _cause_ his tears. She was supposed to wipe them away. But that time had passed decades ago. Her hand faltered.

Luke grabbed her hand and pulled it up to cradle his cheek.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she whispered, tears spilling from her own eyes. Anakin hadn't cried since… since Mustafar. She didn't think she was capable anymore. It hurt more than she remembered.

"It's not too late. You can make amends. We'll make things right again."

"There's no fixing what I've done, Luke. You can only rebuild and do bett-" Anakin choked and coughed up more blood, it dribbled down her chin and she pulled her hand away to wipe away the blood. Luke shifted her to sit a little more upright.

The station shook violently as the Rebel attacks intensified. Pieces were beginning to fall from the ceiling in thunderous showers of sparks.

"You must leave me. Get out of here."

"No, I'm not leaving you, Mother. I'm going to save you."

"My son…" Anakin gripped her son's arms with as much of her fading strength she could muster. "You already have."

"I'm not leaving you." Luke insisted.

Anakin knew she was holding on through sheer force of will alone. Her body had given up. Breath was getting more difficult to draw; oxygen was no longer having any effect. Her vision was fading, and her limbs had gone completely numb. She managed to say her last, through choked breaths. "You were right… Luke, you were right… your sister… tell your sister…" Anakin could feel the blood rapidly filling her lungs, and her weak coughs did nothing to clear them, "I loved you both… so much… I…"

Luke's arms tightened around his mother as she breathed her last. "No, Mother! Anakin!" he shook her slightly to no avail.

She was gone. Anakin Skywalker was truly dead.

A fuel cache exploded on the far end of the hangar and sent a roaring fireball across the emptiness. Luke shielded himself and Anakin from the blast as best as he could. Time was up, they had to go. He gathered his strength, hoisted his mother over his shoulder and walked up the ramp to the shuttle.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Luke Skywalker kept a solitary vigil over his mother's funeral pyre. No one else had offered to stand with him. They didn't understand; they never truly would. Perhaps it was best that way. Vader… Anakin Skywalker… his mother deserved a quiet sendoff. He knew there were more than a few in the Rebellion who would have gladly put her head on a pike and paraded her through the forest for all to see. He couldn't blame them for their wrath, though, not with all she had done to the galaxy.

Luke kept his head bowed and muttered Tatooine's funeral rites under his breath. It only felt fitting that his mother should be sent off with the words of her home planet. He finished just as the flames fully engulfed the body. In plumes of smoke and ash, Anakin Skywalker was ferried off to whatever came next.

"May the Force be with you, Mother." Luke said, watching the smoke disappear into the night sky.

Heavy, uneven footsteps reached Luke's ears and he turned to whoever was approaching. It was an old man, deep wrinkles around his eyes, a spotted, bald head, and a full, pure white beard covering his face; he relied heavily on a makeshift crutch, one leg bearing fresh bandages around the thigh.

"She really is gone, then," the man said gruffly, not looking at Luke. His eyes were fixed on the pyre as he shuffled up beside Luke. He breathed out a harsh bark that might have been a cough or a laugh. "Guess I won that bet. Don't suppose it's worth collecting after twenty-five years, though." He drew a deep breath and finally turned to Luke. His eyes widened in what looked like recognition. "You must be her son."

Luke frowned at the old man. Nobody _alive_ knew his relation to Anakin. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Yes, but no… I suppose you wouldn't. Last time I saw ya' you were no bigger than a tooka." He held up his hands for size comparison. "Tiny little things you and your sister were. And quite the surprise. Nobody would have ever guessed that the General had children."

"You're a clone," Luke breathed, realization falling into place.

"Rex," he said, offering a hand to Luke. "Your mother was my General."

Luke shook his hand. "So, you knew her before…"

"Before she became Vader, yeah." Rex's eyes grew distant and a deep, painful sorrow etched the lines of his face even deeper.

"What was she like before?"

"Hell of a general; an incredibly talented Jedi. She saved my life more times than I care to count. She was a rare one who actually cared for the welfare of her clones. Most of the Jedi did, but she always took it a step further." Rex gave Luke an appraising look. "From what I've heard, you're a lot like her."

Luke smiled weakly at the comment, his feelings quite mixed on that front. If he was like his mother, did he have the same capacity for evil as she had?

"At least, like her before…" Rex trailed off and his eyes hardened at he glared at the smoldering body.

"There was still good in her. She saved my life," Luke offered, hoping it would ease the old clone's pain. It seemed to have the opposite effect though.

"A mother choosing to save her son doesn't make her a saint; nor does it atone for the decisions she made." Rex's frown deepened into a scowl. "What she did was unforgivable, kid. A mother doesn't just walk into a Temple full of elders and children to slaughter them on a whim. The galaxy has suffered for twenty-three years because of her actions." He released his breath in a huff as his anger melted away. "We should have killed her when we had the chance. Things could have been different."

"She did it for me and Leia…" Luke admitted quietly. Trying to pretend that this wasn't news for him. Obi-Wan had never mentioned a slaughter of children before.

"I know, but justifications don't forgive what she's done. She had her free will and she made her choices." Rex shifted his weight and leaned a little heavier on his crutch. "I spent so long hating her for what she did and what she became. Even now, I still hate her, but I'm also sorry she's gone."

Luke laid a hand on Rex's shoulder in solidarity. The same confusing, nauseating, jumbled mess of emotions was currently writhing around in him as well. She was his mother, she had saved him from the Emperor, but with everything she had done… Rex was right, her actions were unforgivable. But he couldn't quite bring himself to truly hate her. Not with the same blazing (and justified) fury Leia did.

The pyre was about half burned down now, little remained of Anakin except her facial apparatus and prosthetics. Endor's trees burned hot, but even this flame wouldn't completely melt the metal. Luke could tell that the old clone wanted a moment alone, to say whatever he needed to before Anakin was completely gone. He squeezed Rex's shoulder before he stepped away.

Out in the forest Luke could see countless bonfires littering the near black trees like stars. Distant, faint sounds of song and drumbeat reached his ears. He closed his eyes and let his presence reach farther out than the forest moon, out to the far reaches of the galaxy. It felt like there was a celebration everywhere. The whole galaxy seemed to be crying out in jubilation rather than anguish as it had been for so long.

He knew that this wasn't the end. There was still so much to be done before the galaxy was truly free of the Empire's grasp, but finally things were turning in the right direction and they were staying that way. For once, the galaxy had Hope.

Luke opened his eyes and was only mildly surprised to see the shimmering halo of Force ghosts standing opposite of him. Obi-Wan and Master Yoda fixed him with proud smiles. He had finally done what they could not. Beside them, a new being shimmered into reality: an older woman – nearly twice Luke's age – tall and strong and proud. Her posture, and the spark in her eyes practically screamed Leia, but Luke could see much of his own features in her face. She wore Jedi robes, rather than the heavy and dark apparatus she had been stuck with for so many years, and her face lacked the scarring that it had borne for just as long.

It was Anakin as she should have been. She took a moment just to look down at herself, flexing two, fully-flesh hands with wonderment. Then she looked up and met her son's eyes. She gave him a watery smile, clutching one hand over her heart in a small salute. He had truly saved her.

Luke started slightly as a hand fell on his shoulder. "The pyre's nearly burnt down," Rex said, nodding back towards the fire. His eyes then looked out into the forest, directly through the ghosts. "I imagine there's quite the hero's welcome for the man who defeated the Emperor."

Luke followed his gaze, but noticed that his mother's apparition had changed. A pained, guilty expression twisted the face of a young woman who couldn't have been much older than Luke. She looked directly at the old clone, as did Obi-Wan. His ghost looked younger as well, and a relieved, nostalgic expression softened his eyes.

"Go ahead, kid," Rex insisted, clapping Luke on the back. "Nights like these are for the young and living. I'll make sure the General is taken care of. She'll be safe."

Luke pulled the clone into a quick hug. "There's no one else I would entrust her to, Rex."

The clone reciprocated the hug after a stunned second. He muttered something gruffly about young Jedi and hugging, but when he pulled back there was a slight quirk on his lips. "Funny, she said almost the same thing to me about you all those years ago."

* * *

*Whispers about age-changing Force ghosts*


	13. Chapter 13

So this chapter is for an anon request I got over on AO3 asking for a one-shot centering around Leia ad Vader, maybe about the twins learning how Anakin became Vader.

Sissi, if you're out there reading, this one's for you. I hope it's what you wanted.

-Becks

* * *

.

 **Meeting Mother**

.

.

"Luke, we need to talk."

The celebration had long ago wound down. Most of the rebellion was asleep in piles around the ewok village, curled up with their fuzzy new friends, and for the first time in a long time sleeping peacefully.

Luke wasn't sleeping. There was still so much on his mind. He was watching the roaring bonfire slowly die down to embers and letting his thoughts flow and pool. Apparently Leia wasn't sleeping either. She wandered over with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and looked down at her brother. Worry and confusion pulled at her face and muddled her feelings.

Luke shifted over on his bench and Leia sat next to him. He knew what she wanted to talk about, so he kept quiet and waited for her to breach the subject.

She hardly waited a beat after taking her seat. "Was Vader really our mother?"

Luke knew his sister would more readily accept that they were twins than the identity of their birth mother. He nodded. "Ben told me."

"When? Three years ago? Before the Death Star?"

"No... just a few days ago." Luke looked at his sister and then into the embers of the bonfire. It sounded a little crazy to say it out loud. "I can speak to his ghost."

Leia tutted quietly and Luke could feel her disbelief, but after a quiet beat she asked, "How? Is it a Jedi thing?"

"It's a Force thing. You should be able to see them too with a little focus."

"Does everyone become a ghost when they die?"

Luke shook his head. "No, I've only seen Jedi."

Leia was quiet for a long moment, quenching that small flare of hope in her heart at the prospect of seeing her parents again. She knew the chances had been slim, and she'd accepted the death of her parents and planet long ago. "Can you teach me?"

"Of course." Luke looked at her, smiling. His eyes focused on a spot over her shoulder, and Leia had the distinct feeling of being watched for a moment. She looked over her shoulder, but saw nothing. When she turned back, Luke's focus was on her again.

"Close your eyes," he said, "and breathe."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Figuring out this Force stuff did not come easily to Leia. Luke's approach required breathing and meditating, emptying her mind and feeling the energy around her. Leia's mind didn't empty. There was too much that needed to be done: a galaxy to solidify, a government to rebuild, Imperial holdouts to eliminate, star systems to free. Leia couldn't just sit and meditate for hours on end until she figured out how to get a tangible grasp on such an abstract thing as the Force. Luke said it had taken him weeks of practice with Obi-Wan and then Master Yoda before he began to get it.

The rebellion's resident Jedi tried his best to help, but General Organa was simply too busy to dedicate the time to figuring out the Force. When compared to rebuilding the Republic, eliminating the Empire, and a surprise baby on the way, the Force fell to the bottom of her list of priorities. She didn't need the Force to play the political game or plan military procedures or help Han put together a nursery in their new apartment on Chandrila.

She wasn't disappointed, not really. Leia had no desire to join Luke in his monk-like lifestyle as he tried to rebuild the Jedi Order, and she greatly preferred a blaster to Luke's lightsaber. But she felt like she was missing out on something; like there was some greater connection that could be forged between her and her twin if she could just figure out how to connect to the Force. And yet, despite her best efforts there was nothing. Leia began to doubt whether she actually had the same powers as Luke.

Her brother insisted she did.

Han asked if it would be such a bad thing if she was just one of the mere mortals.

No, she had decided, it wouldn't be so terrible. And perhaps, considering her parentage, staying clear of the Force was the best option. The last thing the galaxy needed right now was a smear campaign claiming the children of Vader were using their Force powers to mold the galaxy into their own sugar-coated image of their mother's empire. The People's faith had to be fully in the New Republic.

Still, when she had the time or energy, she tried meditation in her quiet moments at the end of the day. Han had been rather disconcerted the first time he came home to find Leia attempting to meditate. He had quite honestly thought she was sick or unconscious. She was just so still, and Leia didn't _do_ still.

It finally clicked for her, and it wasn't a momentous or epiphanous occasion like she had begun to expect it would be. It was an average day, busy and nonstop from dawn to dusk. Leia was in her office, holding three separate conversations via holocom and two in person. Ryloth needed food and medicine. Lothal was in the midst of shutting down the factories. An Imperial fleet was gathering over Jakku and they had to be stopped. Mon Mothma had an update from the New Republic. Rebellion spies still needed to be sent out on their next assignments.

It was chaos. Leia thrived in it.

Luke and Han waited patiently for an opportunity to drag Leia away for some food that wasn't just a nutricube – she was _pregnant_ after all and old rations just didn't cut it, in Han's opinion. But they knew better than to just try and leap into the hurricane of activity surrounding Leia. How she managed to divide her attention and yet give everything the focus is deserved was a mystery to them. After several minutes of quiet observation and trying to follow just one conversation going on, Luke smiled, laughing softly to himself. "I'm an idiot."

Han raised a curious brow, but didn't offer any counter comment. "What?"

Luke gestured to his sister's back. "I've been trying to get her connected to the Force all wrong. She's been doing it herself the whole time, she just never noticed."

Luke focused and reached out tentatively to his sister. He didn't want to shock her, make her lose her train of thought, or have her recoil from the contact. He brushed against Leia's presence and there was hardly a change in his sister… outwardly at least. Mentally, annoyance flared that they would bother her right now when she was up to her eyeballs in problems, but then she realized there was no physical contact. She paused briefly to look to her brother, excitement flared through the Force. The twins shared a smile for a moment before Leia was drawn back into her work.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Now that she knew what being open to the Force meant for her, Leia found herself making progress in leaps and bounds. Manipulating objects was simple, and she had never needed to use a mind trick to manipulate a person before – but it was useful to know when someone was lying to her. What had once been a tenuous grasp on the Force became a vice-like grip. She was a natural and a fast learner.

"Are you ready to try?" Luke asked. He was seated on the floor across from Leia, his legs folded into a meditative pose, his blue eyes shining with excitement.

Leia was in a much less meditative pose. Currently the only position she was comfortable in was on the floor, leaning against the couch, her right leg splayed out and her left tucked up under her thigh. Despite her significantly less dignified position, she was no less excited to try this next trick. "Ready."

"Close your eyes," Luke instructed, watching his sister closely. "Take a deep breath and reach out." Leia fell still and focused and he sensed her presence diffuse throughout the room. "What do you sense?"

"You," Leia said, and then after a pause she added, "And someone else. Someone familiar." Leia breathed in and opened her eyes. They widened in surprise and Luke knew that it had worked. Despite the fact that she'd only seen him once before, Leia recognized him in an instant. "General Kenobi."

The ghost beside Luke smiled warmly. "Hello, Leia. It's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to finally meet. My father spoke very highly of you."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by another voice. "Ah, grown strong in the Force, the other Skywalker has, hmm?" There was a dry and croaky chuckle, "About time, it is."

Another ghost materialized beside Obi-Wan. Leia didn't recognize him, but considering the ancient looking ghost wasn't Vader, that only left one other option, "Master Yoda?"

He cracked a smile. "A pleasure it is, to finally meet you, Leia."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Once she had seen the ghosts once, it was no trouble to see them again when they were hanging around. And considering that Luke was trying to rebuild the Jedi Order, Obi-Wan and Yoda were around a lot. Leia didn't mind talking with the ghosts, but it was easy to tell that once it became apparent to them that she was not going to become a fully-fledged Jedi as well, their interest in her was mostly to be polite.

It wasn't long until Leia realized there was a conspicuous absence in the ghosts. There was a certain name they would not mention in her presence. Conversations would be abruptly cut off. And a few times, Leia had heard Luke having a conversation with someone only to find him alone a few seconds later.

Sure, he could be on the comm with someone, that would be a reasonable explanation for his hushed conversations in empty hallways or alone in his rooms. Unfortunately, Leia knew better. She didn't _want_ to know better, but she did and the knowledge weighed on her mind until she confronted Luke about it.

Han was off planet, there was nothing that needed to be done in the nursery, and Leia didn't want to spend the evening alone. Luke was more than happy to keep his sister company. He was beginning to work out a plan for a new Jedi school in the future, and took the opportunity to bounce ideas off of Leia.

"When Vader died, she became a ghost, didn't she?" she asked abruptly, interrupting Luke's train of thought on planet locations.

"What?"

"Vader. She became a Force ghost too. You've spoken with her." Leia didn't even bother phrasing them like questions. Anger simmered in her belly at the injustice of it all that that monster became an immortal Force ghost when there were countless other and better people who had died and had no such chance.

"Um, yes, we've spoken a few times." Luke searched for the words that might east his sister's vitriol. "I know your feelings on her, Leia, I didn't think you would want to see her. At least, not right now…" He trailed off, waiting for Leia's anger to express itself. Luke knew it would probably take years for Leia to move past what Vader had done enough to ever wish to meet their mother. He could be patient and he'd even understand if Leia never wanted to see Anakin, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and build a bridge or two. After a long moment of silence from his sister, he ventured, "Do you want to see-"

"No."

"But, Leia, she's our mother."

"No she's not!" Leia snapped. "She may have given birth to us, but that does not make her my mother!" She paused, and took a breath to calm her and collect her thoughts.

Luke was doing his best to keep his emotions off his face, but she could still see the hurt in his eyes. All he wanted was the family to be happy and together as best as they could. And there she stood, his twin sister, throwing all his efforts back in his face.

"You don't understand, Luke. I _had_ a mother and father. They raised me and loved me and I loved them dearly. Vader killed them; just as she killed our father." Leia's arms crossed defensively over the slight swell of her belly. "I'm not sure that's something I could ever forgive."

Luke laid a hand on her arm. "I understand, Leia. Would it…" he looked away and swallowed nervously, "Would it bother you if I did reach out to her, though?"

Leia softened, and wrapped her brother's hand in her own. "No, Luke, if you want to know your mother, I won't stop you. Just… please not while I'm around."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

There was an assassination attempt.

Unfortunately, not an unheard of occurrence in Leia's life.

She knew how to defend herself. Her father was sure to teach her from a young age how to defend against kidnappers and the like. The older she got, the more complex her lessons came to match the complexity of her enemies. She had been taught to use a blaster at thirteen. She had mastered several forms of hand to hand combat by sixteen. And to this day, she could wield and throw a knife with the accuracy to pin a fly by its wings. It was undignified for a princess to be unable to defend herself and rely solely on her guards for protection.

Leia had faced assassins before. The Empire certainly had sent quite a few her way after the destruction of the first Death Star. They had always failed.

This time was no different, and somehow, entirely different. She'd never been pregnant before. There had never been more than just her life on the line.

Luke had insisted she take a well-deserved break. Just a short walk while the weather was nice. Stretch her legs, get some fresh air, enjoy the sunny Chandrilan afternoon. He didn't have to press too hard. Leia was restless after spending the entire day trapped at her desk.

They came in a team of three, ambushing Leia and Luke while they strolled through a more secluded section of a sprawling park. They were amateurs, or desperate, because they didn't seem to recognize who Luke was, nor expect Leia to be armed. One was even dumb enough to announce that this was in the name of the Empire before his misaimed shot hit Leia in the shoulder.

Standard Rebellion procedure was to incapacitate Imperials for interrogation before their execution. Luke handled that quite readily in the handful of seconds it took Leia to regain her footing. Fury coursed through her as she marched up to the first assassin, drawing her blaster and leveling it at his heart. She pulled the trigger before he even had a chance to register what was happening. The second met the same fate soon after. She turned to the third.

"Leia, wait!"

Her hand was moved to the side, just enough for the blaster bolt to graze past the cowering man's ear. Luke's hand was on her arm a second later, further shoving the blaster away. Leia met her brother's eyes. Burning brown met worried blue. She holstered her blaster and turned away.

"Keep that one for questioning."

Luke said nothing. The would-be assassin promptly fainted onto the walking path.

.

A great fuss was made over her shoulder and the assassinations. The survivor has been taken into Rebellion custody. Han nearly had an aneurysm. Chewie was equally upset, growling darkly that there wouldn't have been a survivor if he'd been there.

Nobody wanted to leave Leia's side. Who knew if that botched attempt was just to lure them into a false sense of security. Leia didn't complain and ignored the not so subtle looks Luke was shooting her. He was still concerned about her actions in the park. Leia hardly understood why.

It wasn't the first time she had taken a life, and she doubted it would be the last. She had acted defensively. Leaving all three alive would have just increased the risk of them trying again. What she did made sense.

And yet... Leia found she couldn't sleep that night. It may have been shock, but she kept turning the attack over in her mind. She lay in the dark for several hours silently. She'd been able to calm Han and get him to sleep with talk of the baby. She could faintly hear Chewie's snores through their bedroom door. And Luke felt calm and peaceful. Everyone else was asleep except her.

Her hand lay over the baby. Medical scans and her own intuition told her that he was unaffected by today's ordeal. But she still found herself worrying over him. Maybe it was a motherhood thing. She'd probably spend the remainder of her life worrying for her son's safety.

Not for the first time, she wished her mother and father were still alive so she could ask them for advice or at the very least, give her reassurances that everything would be alright.

Leia's eyes snapped open and her heartbeat quickened as she realized she did have someone she could talk to. Someone who had been through the same thing. Leia scowled at the dark ceiling. She didn't really want to talk to _her_ though, but for lack of anything better to do – and not wanting to spend another minute lying in bed listening to Han snore – she figured it might be worth a shot.

Leia walked into the living room first; just to be sure Chewie and Luke were still asleep. They were supposed to be standing guard, but Leia knew between the wookiee and the Jedi if she so much as muttered the word "ouch" in the room they'd be awake in an instant. Instead, she padded into the nursery, rubbing idly at the mildly aching wound in her shoulder.

She closed the door behind her, turned on the light, and settled onto the floor. The only assembled pieces of furniture was the crib and the changing table. There was going to be a rocking chair whenever Han got around to putting it together, but for the time being she didn't mind the floor.

She had the sensation of being watched, that skin crawling, hair raising feeling. Swallowing a wave of disdain Leia said, "Va... Anakin I know you're here."

There was a moment of hesitation, a fearfully hopeful apprehension hit Leia, and she knew it wasn't her own. Then a ghost of a woman appeared before Leia, standing a respectful distance away, head bowed and somber, but there was a glimmer of hope in her face.

Leia studied her, she appeared to be almost fifty, and she didn't look like Leia had come to know her as. "What happened to your scars?"

Anakin's hand traced the right side of her face. "I don't know." Her voice was softer and more feminine than Leia had ever heard from her.

It was just... wrong! Luke had told Leia how Vader had sacrificed herself and saved him. She'd been redeemed and brought back to the Light side. But... Leia felt robbed that Anakin got to spend eternity in the Force without even a single mark to remind her of her sins.

"Pity," Leia said acerbically, "you deserved them."

Anakin said nothing and bowed her head. Leia took it as a sign of agreement. She sighed quickly and gestured to the floor across from her. Anakin took her cue and sat across from her, folding into the same meditative position Luke favored. Leia noted that now, the ghost appeared to have grown younger, and a woman her own age looked back at her. It was unnerving, but Leia opted to not question it. She wasn't sure how long she could tolerate Anakin, so it was best to move things along. Leia drew a fortifying breath and said, "I want you to explain yourself."

Anakin fixed Leia with a curious look. There was a beat of silence between the two. Leia opened her mouth to further clarify, but Anakin was already speaking.

"Your father and I were married in secret. I was a Jedi, marriage wasn't allowed." Her eyes were fixed unwaveringly on Leia. "We took precautions, but I still ended up pregnant..." Anakin spoke, Leia listened. She was constantly aware of the bias a change in perspective could do to a story, but for the most part, Anakin's story lined up with what Obi-Wan had told her and Luke.

In Leia's mind, the story of Vader had always been very cut and dry. As her father had explained, Vader was responsible for killing the Jedi and her birth parents. Vader was responsible for much of the death and suffering in the galaxy. It was Vader's actions that allowed the Emperor to rise to power in the first place. Vader was responsible for the destruction of Alderaan and the death of her parents.

These facts didn't change. Except instead of seeing Vader as a masked monster and the incarnation of pure evil, she now saw a mother desperate to keep her family safe. Leia reluctantly realized that Anakin at the end of the Clone Wars shared many similarities with her.

"...I believed that there was a threat from the Jedi Order, and to protect you I destroyed them." Anakin finished her tale, still keeping eye contact.

"And was there?" Leia asked.

Finally she broke eye contact, glaring off to the side, her hands balled up in her lap. "They would have taken you away, but I was led to believe that they would kill you."

"Then why did you do it? We weren't dead."

"Palpatine told me you had been killed by Separatists. I believed him."

Silence fell between the two for several minutes. Leia's hand crossed over her belly, her son kicked her in the ribs. How much could she confidently say she would do differently if she faced the same choices as Anakin? After all, she'd already killed two men and nearly a third for threatening her unborn son. On the other hand, killing assassins in defense was far different from slaughtering a temple full of children for a perceived threat.

"Have you been following me?" Leia asked quietly. "Watching me?"

Anakin shook her head, "No, I know… I know how you feel about me. I've been keeping my distance."

"Good."

Anakin's ghost looked old again and tired. "What I've done is unforgivable, Leia, I know that. I'm not going to ask for your forgiveness until-"

"Then why bring it up?" Leia snapped. She didn't call Anakin here to hear her sales pitch for why she deserved to be forgiven. She just wanted to understand that woman a little better. The best way to defeat an enemy is to know them.

"Because you are my daughter," Anakin stated, looking at Leia earnestly. "I have some idea of what you're going through." She gestured to Leia's shoulder and then down to her belly, unmistakable now for what it was. "Did you know I was your age when you were born?" A younger woman's eyes searched for understanding from an older woman's face.

There was none. Leia's lip curled back into a snarl, her hands sat over her son. "I don't kriffing care if you were the same age as me. Why even bring it up? Did you think that was going to build a bridge between us?" Leia scoffed coldly. "You've got some nerve. How many mothers and babies died at your command while you served the Emperor? How many children did you kill at the Jedi Temple? Don't ask my forgiveness, ask theirs."

The ghost shrank back, guilt pulling at her face. "I think it'd best of I leave now."

"Yes. It would be."

Anakin moved to stand up, though Leia hardly understood why. She was a ghost, she could just disappear. Anakin was turning away, Leia was happy to see her go. Then her son kicked her again. "Wait."

Anakin froze, not letting any emotion show on her face. She turned back slowly to face her daughter. "Yes?"

"I'm only going to say this once, understand? I don't want you to see him after he'd born. I don't want you corrupting him."

Anakin's jaw clenched and it took her a moment to bring her next words forward. "As you wish," she said with a nod and then she disappeared like a wisp of smoke.


	14. Chapter 14

We're trying something different with the Sequel material. Considering the trilogy isn't complete, and thus neither is the story, I take more of a dive back into history before getting into the present. We do go to the end of The Last Jedi, so (if somehow you haven't seen the movie yet) there are spoilers. Also age changing force ghosts because I will ride this train until I die now.

We're getting close to the end of what have for Echoes. I've got a Rebels chapter I want to post, but I need a rewatch of the series before I do that, plus I have a few more prompts kicking around in my head. Including more OT-era shenanigans and an AU of the main story. (Okay, how deeply in trouble are you when you stark thinking about AUs of your own AU? Because I think I'm stuck down that rabbit hole)

If/when I get more prompts or requests, I'll be adding them to the fic. So, if you want to stay updated, click that Subscribe button because I cannot promise consistent updates and I wouldn't want you to miss anything!

Without further ado, I hope you guys enjoy!

-Becks

* * *

 **Sequels**

.

.

Ben Solo knows ghosts exist.

And not the creepy kinds of ghosts who steal faces and eat children that Poe likes to scare other kids with. Ghosts are nice. They're always there for him with kind words and gentle smiles, encouragement when he's frustrated, and comfort when Daddy's gone for too long. Ben tries to tell the other kids about his ghosts and let them know there's nothing to fear. But they'd rather believe Poe's tales of horror than listen to Ben's reasoning. None of the other kids can see Ben's ghosts.

Uncle Luke sees the ghosts, and when he is around, Ben and Uncle Luke will sit and talk with them. Obi-Wan always listens to Ben's stories with rapt attention. Yoda talks funny and is a little hard to understand, but he makes Ben laugh.

Mommy doesn't like the ghosts. It's confusing because she doesn't seem to mind it when Ben sees Obi-Wan and Yoda, but sometimes he hears her yelling at a ghost. She'll say things to the ghost, like they can't see Ben, and they're not allowed to talk to him, she throws around a lot of words that Ben doesn't understand. Sometimes Uncle Luke gets into the argument, but Mommy must always win because he's never met any other ghosts.

Well… that's not entirely true. There is the invisible ghost, but Ben figures that if he's never seen the ghost, or talked to the ghost, then it's not _technically_ considered "meeting." The invisible ghost sounds like an old lady to Ben and she only seems to come around at nighttime. Sometimes Ben will wake up in the middle of the night and he'll feel a hand brushing his hair, and someone will be softly singing a lullaby. But every time Ben opens his eyes, there's nobody there, and the touch of a hand in his hair disappears.

Ben's tries talking to the Invisible Lady, but she never answers. He thinks she wants to but can't, and he doesn't know why. Ben thinks that she must be awful lonely if she can't talk to anyone. Sometimes, if he can't sleep right away, Ben will start talking to the Invisible Lady. He'll tell her stories and talk about his day, and he thinks the Invisible Lady really likes that.

Ben wishes he could see her. Maybe then she'd talk back to him and she wouldn't be so lonely.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Ben knows he shouldn't be snooping through his Uncle's belongings.

But Luke is teaching a class to a younger group of students, so he's not even paying attention. Sure, Ben's supposed to be studying, but he's _always_ studying. He thought being a Jedi had more to do with lightsabers and mind tricks than it did with reading through dry, boring, old texts and meditating for hours on end. He jimmies the lock open to a room that's packed with boxes. A thick layer of dust coats everything and it looks like the room hasn't been touched in years. Ben cracks open the lid on the first box. There's a holey orange flight suit, covered with burn marks and char. An old-styled pilot's helmet has been wedged into the corner. The next box has a random assortment of what looks like droid and ship parts, all melted wiring and damaged beyond repair. Ben frowns somewhat disappointed. It just looks like some old junk from the Rebellion that Uncle Luke never got around to throwing away. He looks around for anything that might be remotely promising and his eyes fall on a smaller box. It only takes up about a square foot of space and it's been shoved into a corner and had other things piled on top as if it was supposed to be hidden.

Ben can't explain it, but he feels the box calling for him while something inside him pulls away from it. Following the siren song, he walks over, uncovers the box, and slowly lifts the lid. There's only one item inside, a melted and twisted black mask. A ghostly echo of mechanized respiration fills the room. Ben can't help but stare at every detail of the mask. The ash stuck in the crevices, the dulled black finish, the way the warped metal made the whole thing look sad and ghoulish.

The hissing breaths still filled Ben's ears. He knows whose this was. It's Vader's mask… his grandmother's. He reaches out to touch the relic.

" _Stop that!"_

Ben jumps as someone slaps the back of his head rather sharply. Uncle Luke must have found him. Oh, he is going to be in _so much_ trouble! He slams the box shut and turns around, his hand at the back of his head and an explanation ready on his lips.

The room is empty.

Ben gulps a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart and looks around to be extra sure. He is alone. He can't hear the hissing breaths anymore, and he doesn't want to look at that mangled mask again. Ben scurries for the door and makes sure to lock it behind him.

In the back of his mind, Ben can almost hear another voice scolding him, calling him an idiot boy and demanding why he'd even think of doing something to stupid. The voice reminds him a lot of his mother. His mental scoldings often come out in his mother's voice.

He shakes himself and hurries off to his studies. He might be able to ask Uncle Luke about his grandmother. Before, Luke has always put off telling him until he was older. And Mother never talks about Vader. But Mother isn't here, and Ben is old enough now to handle the whole story. And if Luke isn't going to talk, he might be able to ask Obi-Wan or Master Yoda. Their ghosts like to hang around the new school.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

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Leia doesn't see ghosts very much anymore.

Quite frankly, the dead Jedi lost interest in her when she made it quite clear she had no intentions of joining Luke in his quest to rebuild the Jedi Order. It wasn't a great loss, in Leia's opinion, having ghosts pop in at any given moment to offer sage advice or tell her how to raise her son had grown very old very fast. Sure, Master Yoda had a wealth of wisdom to offer, but rebuilding a war-torn galaxy was new ground even for the ancient Jedi Master when they didn't have several thousand Jedi to send out to every system. Leia wasn't sad to see them go when Luke set up a permanent spot for his new Jedi School. They had new, young Jedi to teach after all. And Anakin must have finally respected her wishes to leave Ben alone, because Leia hadn't seen her in years.

Once she had sent Ben off to learn with Luke, Leia entered a blissfully ghost-free existence. In fact, she has almost forgotten about them entirely in the intervening years. Resistance work never ends and she is kept deliriously busy most of her days.

When the ghosts reappear, Leia knows it as a bad omen. They are preceded by an overwhelming sense of dread, of pain and fear. Leia instinctively reached out for Luke and Ben. Their bonds are strong enough to cross the greatest distances of space. They've never failed yet, but now… Leia can't sense Luke, and Ben feels cold and distant, brittle and tainted.

Icy fear grips Leia's heart. She must make contact with her son and brother. She turns around and nearly runs though Anakin – looking old, tired, and guilt stricken. Leia gets one look at the apologetic and mournful look on her face and then demands, "What happened? Why can't I sense Ben or Luke? Where are they?"

Anakin won't meet her daughter's eyes. "Luke has severed himself from the Force. We cannot reach him."

"And Ben?"

Anakin's jaw tightens. She looks as if she wishes to be anywhere but here. "Ben has fallen to the Dark Side."

Leia's wrath burns the dead like fire. It is no wonder the other ghosts did not want to bear this news to her.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Kylo Ren doesn't see ghosts anymore.

Not in the way he used to as a child. He supposes renouncing the Light meant renouncing the ghosts of the Light as well. Not that it matters much to him; the last thing he needs is two ghosts hanging over his shoulder all day, begging him to come back to the Light.

There are other ghosts; ghosts of the Dark who like to lurk around particularly powerful locations, but never seem to fully manifest. Even in death, they still follow the call of the Dark, and if Kylo makes the necessary sacrifices, they offer their wisdom. Oftentimes, Supreme Leader Snoke will send Ren off to a sacred sight to gain wisdom from the great teachers of the past.

There is one, however, who follows Ren wherever he goes. It only ever appears in the corner of his eye, or behind him in mirrors. It takes months for him to catch enough of a glimpse to realize the ghost is a woman. She always wears a reprimanding frown, and sometimes Kylo sees her mouth moving as if she were lecturing him. But he never hears a word from the ghostly woman, and he learns to ignore her while she dogs his every step.

The only times he never sees the ghost is when he's near his grandmother's mask. The dark relic seems to repulse the ghost and Ren takes advantage of that when he grows tired of pretending to ignore the woman. He knows eventually she will grow tired of her haunting and move on. To acknowledge her would be to give her validation.

And she can no longer offer him anything of value anyway.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Rey has always seen ghosts.

Jakku was full of them. The smoky gray shades hovered around the salvage sites, vestiges of old uniforms sharpening and fading depending on where in the downed cruisers they chose to lurk that day. Oftentimes, they ignored her, or tried to drive her away – throwing curses her way for daring to steal from the Empire. Rey ignored them and continued her work. Ghosts couldn't hurt her and she had to work to eat. There were a few rare ghosts who ended up being rather helpful; claiming that Rey reminded them of a loved one and pointing her to yet unreached salvages.

Rey didn't know why she could see the ghosts. Not everybody could, but there were enough at Nima Outpost that she wasn't immediately labeled 'crazy' the first time she mentioned seeing a ghost as a child. There was no rhyme or reason for who could see the ghosts and who couldn't. It wasn't based on species or age or gender. All Rey knew was that she saw more ghosts than anyone else, and that fact she kept to herself. Jakku claimed a lot of lives, and while not everybody who died left behind a ghost, there were far more on the planet than the handful of ghosts the others spoke of.

Jakku wasn't the only planet with ghosts either. Maz Kanata's cantina had a few ghosts lingering in the corners. Luke's island had been riddled with them; though all those specters seemed quite content to ignore Rey and the Jedi and float mutely through the ruins.

The _Falcon_ didn't have ghosts. Rey had spent enough time on it; she is sure of that fact. So she can't be blamed for screaming a little when one speaks to her.

Not many in the Resistance opt to venture into the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_ , the ship is still very much so Captain Solo's and the cockpit is almost like hallowed ground. Chewie may also have something to do with it as well. When the Wookie isn't copiloting, he is playing bouncer. The cockpit is the only private space on the ship and there are a lot of private conversations that have to be held.

Right now, though, Rey is alone. They are on their fifth jump to throw the First Order off their trail. Most of the Resistance is catching what sleep they can, piled together in groups on any suitable surface. Pretend to sleep so others won't see them mourn. Now is not the time for weeping. The dead will be mourned when the First Order is no longer a threat.

Rey is turning over the lightsaber's crystal in her hands, mesmerized by the play of the dashboard lights on its facets. The crystal is no longer glowing blindingly, but it still has a soft aura to it. Try as she might, Rey cannot find the source of the light. She figures there has to be a pocket of luminous minerals or some type of bacteria or lichen, but it is pure throughout. The crystal is warm in her hands, like a stone warmed in the sun only it never fades or changes no matter if she holds it tightly in her hands or lets it sit on the dashboard.

"I remember finding that crystal. The Force made me swim for it."

Rey jumps and a small alarmed scream escapes her lips. She clamps her hand over her mouth. Wraps her fingers around the crystal, and spins in her seat. The ghost of a woman sits in the copilot's seat. She wears long robes, and keeps her hair braided away from her face in a simple plait. Her age is indeterminate, one second she looks like a woman near Rey's age, and another she looks older than General Organa. She looks very corporeal, more so than Rey has ever seen before in a ghost. If it wasn't for the slight glow around her, Rey would have thought she was a flesh and blood human being.

"Who the kriff are you?" Rey asks in a hushed, but terse voice. Ghosts couldn't harm her; there was no need to wake up the entire ship.

The ghost woman looks surprised, but pleasantly so. "You can see me?" A small smile crosses her lips. "It's been so long since someone actually payed attention to me."

"Who are you?" Rey asks again.

"You can call me Anakin." She nods to the crystal hidden in Rey's fist. "That crystal was mine. As was the lightsaber it belonged to."

Rey holds the crystal out and studies it again. It seems to glow a little brighter in the presence of the ghost. "I thought it was Luke's lightsaber…"

"It was his after it was mine." Anakin's eyes look up searchingly, as if remembering. "I built that lightsaber three days after my wedding. It was at the bottom of a frigid, icy pool," she scoffs with the disdain that only a native desert dweller could muster for things that were cold and wet. Rey can sympathize. Anakin sighs softly and frowns down at Rey's hand. "You be careful with that crystal. It has a violent history. It was born for wars and I'm beginning to think it thirsts for blood."

"What should I do with it?" Rey asks softly.

"A kyber crystal is a powerful weapon. In ages past they were used by the Jedi in their lightsabers, and the whole galaxy feared their blades. The Empire used them to destroy planets. Now…" Anakin regards Rey appraisingly. "You're not a Jedi, and you have nothing of the dark impulses of the Empire or First Order. My kyber came to you, and I'm not entirely sure why."

"What do you mean it 'came to me'?"

"You can see the glow, yes?"

Rey nods slowly. Can't everyone see the glow?

"When a kyber chooses its Jedi, it glows for them. To any other eye, it wouldn't be more than a pretty rock."

The crystal in Rey's hands looks innocuous enough; nothing more than perhaps a harmless hunk of quartz. Rey had collected rocks like that as a child whenever she stumbled across them on Jakku. They held no value and couldn't be traded for food, but she liked them regardless.

"May I?" Anakin asks, holding her hand out for the crystal.

Rey opens her palm, hardly expecting anything to happen. Ghosts couldn't touch real matter, not even a Jedi's ghost. She gasps softly when the crystal lifts from her hand and hovers across to Anakin. She floats the crystal around her hand for a moment, weaving t between her fingers, examining every facet.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade. The crystal is the heart of the Jedi," she recites in a whisper. She pushes the kyber back gently into Rey's hand. "That crystal likes wars and underdogs. It has big plans for you."

Rey opens her mouth to ask Anakin what the hell she is talking about. How could a _rock_ have plans for anyone or anything? But she is interrupted.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A new voice snaps from the cockpit entrance.

Rey and Anakin turn to see Leia standing in the doorway, leaning heavily on her cane. She glares daggers at the ghost. Finn hovers behind her, looking rather confused at the specter in the copilot's seat.

Anakin opens her mouth to speak, but the General beats her to it. "Bah, figures you'd show up now of all times. Move. You're dead, you don't need to sit." She shuffles into the cockpit and makes for Anakin's seat.

Anakin obliges, stepping to the side to let Leia through. Finn steps in as well, pointing at the ghost and looking between Rey and Leia for an explanation. "Who is she?" he asks when no immediate answers are forthcoming.

"Oh, he can see me too?" Anakin asks, looking rather delighted.

"Obviously," Leia says dryly. "Rey, Finn, meet Anakin Skywalker, my birth mother."

"Your birth mother?" Finn echoes at a whisper, studying the ghost. His eyes widen as realization dawns. "You… you're Vader."

Rey looks the ghost over sharply. She certainly doesn't look like the epitome of the Dark Side of the Force, the one person Ren idolizes and built himself to become. Anakin however, doesn't deny Finn's accusation.

"Yes. I was."

Finn draws back, scowling at the ghost. Anakin looks down and away from the former storm trooper, guilt pulling at her face.

"You don't look like…" Rey begins and then trails off. Finn is looking at the ghost as if she is evil incarnate. Rey wants to trust her friend's instincts, but her own instincts tell her a different story. Anakin has shown no inclination of harm or ill will in their conversation… But then again; Rey knows how deceptive the Dark Side could be.

"What did you expect?" Anakin asks, with a mischievous quirk of her brow. "Kylo Ren with tits?"

Rey can't respond because the answer is 'yes' and 'no'. Vader's name and face had become so synonymous with monsters that even scavenger orphans all the way out on Jakku knew what face to scrawl on scraps of sheet metal when telling tales of horror. It was _not_ a kindly older woman's face.

Anakin's face loses all mischief and a deep frown pulls at her lips. "The Force was far kinder to me in death than I deserved," she admits; her hand reaching up to trace the right side of her face.

"Stop being so melodramatic," Leia scoffs. "Why are you here?"

"To see you, Leia, and Rey."

"I don't want to see you." Leia shoots back.

"I know."

Several moments of uncomfortable silence fill the cockpit.

"Luke's dead, did you know that?" Leia asks sharply and suddenly.

"Yes." Anakin bows head but looks at her daughter. "Your brother will be around. It takes time to get accustomed to navigating the Force after death."

"And you've seen the fine mess your grandson has made all in your name?"

Anakin glares at her daughter. "I stayed away from him, just as you asked."

Leia returns the glare and opens her mouth to retort. Rey can foresee this quickly developing into a heated argument and then a shouting match – not what anyone needs right now. So she interrupts quickly, "Why are you here to see us?"

Anakin turns to Rey. "To warn you."

"About what?"

"The Force is in turmoil. There is a void, a power vacuum if you will, where the Sith and Jedi used to reside. They were opposing ends of a spectrum, always at odds, but maintaining equilibrium. The Sith were destroyed thirty years ago, and the last Jedi has destroyed himself."

"So what?" Finn asks, crossing his arms tightly. "You want Rey to find more wanna-be Jedi and fill that void with good and eliminate evil throughout the galaxy?" He ends his question with a small flourish of his hands, wiggling his fingers, as if the concept is a ridiculous dream.

"Luke's final act was to end the Jedi," Rey says, looking sharply at the ghost. "I'm not going to subvert his sacrifice to rebuild a failed religion."

"I'm not telling you to rebuild the Jedi. I'm telling you to make something _better_."

"Better how?" Finn asks suspiciously. "More inclined to stealing children, and breaking up families, and enslaving their soldiers?"

"Try less," Anakin fixes Finn with a look caught between a scowl and a frown. There is a tense moment of silence between them. "You and I aren't so different, Finn. I spent my whole life as a slave. Only _you_ actually have true freedom. When I thought I had been given freedom, I really just traded one set of shackles for another."

"Yes, becoming a Jedi was just another form of slavery. I've heard it all before," Leia says disdainfully, her patience running thin. "Now get on with it. Some of us haven't slept in a week."

Anakin scowls at her daughter, but it is much gentler than it could be. "When I destroyed the Jedi Order, many believed that was the end of the Force in the galaxy, or at the very least, the end of the Light Side. But there's a funny thing about the Force, that even the Sith and the Jedi never fully grasped – or, more likely, chose not to understand – Light and Dark are a matter of perspective. The Force just… is. Millennia of prejudice between the Jedi and the Sith warped their perspectives of the Force until certain emotions became synonymous with either the Light or the Dark. An unbroken chain of teachings persisted across the ages, only becoming more inflexible with every generation. But now…"

"Now that chain is broken with Luke gone," Rey finishes. Luke had taught her so much and yet so little. Rey might not have learned any traditional Jedi teachings, but Luke had imparted plenty of wisdom.

Understanding dawns on everyone present. Anakin nods and continues. "The Force likes to be alive. It loves being in trillions of creature all at the same time. It never stops making Force-Sensitives because it loves to be played with. You can find them and fill this void in the Force with true Balance."

"No more Jedi." Rey says quietly. "No more Sith. Just..." she looks to Finn and smiles. "Just us and people like us."

Leia looks at the ghost and then at the two kids before her. She realizes that the mantle of rebuilding the galaxy was slowly being taken off her shoulders, and placed onto theirs. Much as it had been given to her at their age. The cycle continues, and new generations build off the teachings of their predecessors. "Balance cannot be achieved through absence, only acceptance," she says quietly, almost sage-like. "You cannot have day without night. But when they join together, you have –"

"The dawn of a new era," Anakin completes, looking at her daughter. They share a soft smile of understanding.


	15. Chapter 15

I still haven't done the rewatch of Rebels I said I was going to do like a year ago. I figured I could at least post the parts I have completed, and get part 2 up when I do get that rewatch done.  
Coincidentally, the parts that I have finished and what I don't can be split between Before they know Vader is Anakin and After. I'm going to pretend that I planned that.

* * *

.

 **Rebels: Part 1**

.

.

"Who's that?"

Kanan jumped slightly and nearly dropped the holocron. He twisted around to see Ezra silhouetted in his doorway.

"Old girlfriend?" Ezra asked with a mischievous quirk of his eyebrow and a teasing smirk. He stepped fully into the room and took a seat across from Kanan.

"Hardly," Kanan scoffed. He started the holo again and the young woman on the display drew a lightsaber and began walking through some stances and movements. "This is Master Skywalker, one of the greatest warriors in the Order. She was a general in the Clone Wars, and a bit of a holonet hero." He laughed somewhat embarrassed. "Every initiate wanted to be her padawan."

"Ah, so crush on teacher," Ezra teased. He watched the holo for a moment. Skywalker demonstrated what the form she was teaching would look like in combat. Her blade was a blur and she moved gracefully yet lethally. Even Kanan didn't move that fast with his blade. Ezra knew it'd take him months of practice to get a form like that up to half of her speed and efficiency, but it sure looked cool! "Are you going to teach me that?"

"Someday, yes. But that's a form for a more advanced padawan."

"Oh come on," Ezra huffed, crossing his arms. "You had the lesson. You must have been practicing it when you were younger than me."

"Yes, Ezra, but I also had a decade of basic lightsaber training under my belt. You're still playing catch-up. And don't even _think_ about trying this out before you're ready. That particular form has caused more than a few padawans to lose a finger or two if they aren't careful. And _we_ don't have the benefit of training sabers."

Ezra grimaced and flexed his fingers. He quite liked having all ten attached, thanks. He opted for a change of subject, since Kanan seemed to be in a good mood for reminiscing. "Can you tell me more about Master Skywalker? She seems pretty cool. Do you know what happened to her?"

"Probably the same thing that happened to all the Jedi." Kanan sighed and bowed his head. Ezra sighed softly too, recognizing the signs that Kanan was about to shut him out. Surprisingly, Kanan didn't immediately change the subject. "I didn't know her very well. I only saw her in person a handful of times. The rest was just exaggerated rumors that kids spread."

Ezra watched the holo intently for a moment longer. Skywalker looked a lot younger than he expected the "Jedi Order's greatest warrior" to be. He expected to see someone in their forties or fifties; a battle hardened veteran and a wise Jedi. She almost – Ezra looked between the holo and Kanan – no she was _definitely_ younger than Kanan in this. Maybe it was an old recording.

"She looks young."

"She was," Kana said. "Skywalker was something of a prodigy. It was said that by seventeen she could outduel almost every Master in the Temple, save perhaps Masters Yoda and Windu."

"Seventeen?"

"I don't expect you to follow in her footsteps," Kanan added with a laugh and a gentle kick at Ezra's foot. "When they could, the Council would rope her into teaching saber classes to padawans." His eyes grew a little harder and the smile fell from his lips. "Having the frontline generals teaching the techniques they were adapting to the battlefield was efficient. I was in a few of her classes. They were informative, but brutal. She was a trial-by-fire sort of instructor." He heaved a short sigh, "But her lessons have saved my life more than once, so I guess she was effective."

"Sounds fun," Ezra commented dryly.

Kanan hummed and scrolled back through several files in the holocron before he came to another recording of Skywalker. This time she was walking through a much more basic technique. "My Master Bilaba gave me this holocron a few months before the end of the war. I think it was the last batch Skywalker recorded. We'll be using her lessons to get your saber skills up to par."

"I hope you're not planning on adopting a trial-by-fire approach," Ezra joked apprehensively. "You've already thrown me off the ship."

Kanan shrugged. "Better me than an Inquisitor."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Chopper base was still in the midst of getting set up. It was just shy of chaos trying to get everything organized and situated. Finding privacy was challenging with people running between rooms trying to find where certain supplies had been stashed.

Kanan, through some miraculous stroke of luck, managed to find the mess hall completely empty. Even between meals, people would often stop by for a cup of caf before or after a shift. It might not be very private, but it would do. Kanan didn't exactly need a reverently quiet space; he just needed to be alone for a few minutes. He grabbed a mug from the caf machine and sat down a couple tables away. That way, at least, if anyone else did come in, he wouldn't be in the way of their caf fix.

As he sat down he pulled a flask from his pocket and poured a measure of the liquor into the mug. He wrapped his hands around the mug, bowed his head and closed his eyes to meditate? Pray? Remember? Even he wasn't sure what he really did, but he had found comfort in the ritual years ago and he made sure to maintain it wherever he was. It wasn't exactly complicated.

He sat in silence for several minutes reflecting, remembering, holding one-sided mental conversations with Master Bilaba. He had realized that over the last year, he'd thought more about his old Master than usual. Training Ezra more often than not lead to situations Kanan didn't think he'd have to ever deal with, and it helped to think about what his Master might have said or done. She had always jokingly threatened him with the Padawan's Curse: _someday you'll have a padawan who puts you through just as much trouble as you put me through, Caleb, just you wait._

A small smile pulled at his lips when he realized how much Deppa would have liked Ezra; and how wickedly entertained she would have been watching Kanan take up the role of teacher. Kanan hoped that she would be proud of him.

The door to the mess opened up and one pair of boots faltered in the doorway.

"Oh, Kanan, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt."

Kanan looked up and took a drink. "You're not really interrupting, Ahsoka."

The togruta narrowed her eyes disbelievingly but approached the table. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just... remembering. It's my Master's birthday today."

"Oh, I see"

Kanan reached out and hovered another mug from the caf machine behind him and poured out a measure of liquor for Ahsoka. "She always remembered my birthday. I try to remember hers."

Ahsoka sat down and wrapped her hands around the cup. "I never knew my Master's birthday." After a sip and a grimace at the cheap liquor, she further admitted, "I'm not sure she even knew the exact date."

"How wouldn't she know?"

"She was born in the Outer Rim. Record keeping wasn't a high priority. I think the Order picked the closest date they could."

"Oh." Kanan didn't have to think too hard to put the pieces together. The Empire had brought new meaning and rigidity to bureaucracy during their tenure, but even still, slaves were the ones who most often went undocumented. It had been no different in the days of the Republic.

"But she always remembered mine." Ahsoka breathed a short sigh. "I suppose today's as good as any to celebrate her." She raised her mug. "To our Masters."

Kanan clicked his against hers in a toast. "To Deppa Bilaba."

"To Anakin Skywalker."

Their mugs collided with a dull _clink_ and each ex-Jedi took a drink for their respective Masters, and then another one for the other.

"You know, I have some old training vids that Skywalker made. I've been using them to help Ezra with his saber techniques."

"You managed to keep ahold of a holocron?" Ahsoka asked, sounding rather impressed. Shortly after the fall of the Republic there had been a hefty price placed on anything remotely Jedi related by the Empire. Artifacts had been collected by the tons, raids on Jedi-friendly cities and planets turned up a lot of material to burn. A genuine holocron could feed a family for a year, and for a starving kid with no resources and nowhere to go well… a holocron could get him more food than he could eat and then some.

"It was the only thing I had that…" Kanan trailed off and raised his mug to his lips for a long drink. He didn't need to finish that statement. Ahsoka knew exactly what he meant. As the Empire erased the Jedi from the galaxy and memory, sometimes she had to stop and remember that her past hadn't been a hallucination.

As Kanan drank, memories stirred of the few times he actually saw Skywalker in person. Most times he had seen Skywalker, Ahsoka was always accompanying her Master. A dedicated little shadow, like a good padawan was supposed to be. But the last time he had seen Skywalker she had been alone and… Kanan frowned as the sad reality dawned over him.

"What's wrong?" Ahsoka asked before taking another drink.

"I just remembered something." Kanan raised his cup to his lips, but lowered it before he took a drink. "When did you leave the Order?"

Ahsoka echoed his frown, but answered. "About a year before the end of the Clone Wars."

"Then you didn't know," Kanan muttered quietly.

"Didn't know what?"

Kanan rubbed his temples, trying to stir the memory into sharper detail. "I may be wrong, but I remember seeing her in the Temple a month or two before the end. She was pregnant then, like really pregnant." Kanan held a hand out over his stomach to help illustrate.

"What? No, Anakin couldn't have gotten pregnant. She was a General and a Jedi Knight." Ahsoka shook her head and laughed in disbelief. "She wouldn't have done that."

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but … pregnant Jedi weren't exactly a common sight in the Temple." Kanan said with a half shrug. "And every padawan knew who General Skywalker was."

"Holy kriff," Ahsoka whispered. "I had heard she'd been absent from the war, but I never…" She shook herself. "She really had a baby?"

Kanan half shrugged and nodded before taking a drink. "Probably sometime around the fall of the Republic."

"Oh..." Ahsoka downed the remainder of her drink at the sobering realization.

"Yeah." Kanan looked down at his own mug and ran his thumb over the handle.

The togruta heaved a long sigh. "Guess you learn something new every day." Ahsoka stood up and slid her empty mug across the table. There was only one other person on base who could potentially know something about Anakin in her last days. She needed to talk to him. "Thanks for the drink, Kanan."

"Anytime."

Ahsoka brushed past Ezra on her way out the door. The padawan offered her a greeting and a smile, but she was too preoccupied to reciprocate. She heard him muttering to Kanan before the door closed behind her. She'd apologize to the kid later, once she got this revelation off her chest.

Ahsoka managed to hunt Rex down in the newly established armory. He and a few others with past military experience had taken charge of organization, delegating to the others the most efficient way to set up. Rebels scurried back and forth, pushing crates and stacking blasters. Rex was barking orders and warnings to the greener rebels. It was chaotic, but becoming organized.

Ahsoka walked up beside Rex; her arms wrapped tight around her, trying to keep away the encroaching grief she felt for her old Master and unknown child. "Rex, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Commander Tano?" Rex turned, caught sight of her facial expression, and immediately lost his half smile. Ahsoka could feel the concern rushing through him. "Right away." He called over another rebel, an older pantoran wearing an Old Republic military jacket with Major's epaulettes. Rex told him he'd be stepping away for a bit and passed over his datapad.

Ahsoka led him out of the armory, and they found an unused room. She stepped inside and let the door close behind them.

Rex's brow creased with worry and he reached out, laying a hand on the togruta's shoulder. "What's wrong, Ahsoka?"

She drew a breath and got right to it. "Did you know Anakin had a child shortly before the fall of the Republic?"

Rex opened his mouth to speak, clamped it shut, and then said, "I was ordered not to say anything about that."

"Ordered? By who? "

"General Kenobi."

"Oh." Ahsoka didn't want to force Rex to break orders, even if they were nearly fifteen years old. "I understand; orders are orders."

"It's been long enough, and he would want you to know." Rex squeezed Ahsoka's shoulder gently before dropping his hand. "Skywalker did have a child," he stated. "She had twins. A boy and a girl."

"Twins?" Ahsoka echoed in a whisper. She bowed her head and found tears pricking at her eyes. She drew a deep breath and settled her emotions.

"They were born a month before the end of the war."

"How do you know?"

Rex paused again, getting tripped up over breaking his long standing orders. "She brought me in to protect them when things were beginning to go to hell."

"She brought you in? Weren't they at the Temple?"

"No."

Another realization dawned on Ahsoka and she released a small sigh. "They were at Senator Amidala's, weren't they? He was the father."

"Yes. Apparently they were married."

"Married? _Kriff._ I kinda guessed that they were seeing each other, but I never would have thought they were married!" Ahsoka laughed weakly in disbelief, "I leave for a few months and Anakin loses her mind and gets pregnant." She meant it as a joke, but a sickening twist of guilt made her heart stutter. If she had been there for Anakin, would things have been different? She shook herself mentally; dwelling on the past would change nothing. "What happened to them, Rex? The twins. Did they… did they survive the purge?"

"They did." Rex said with a firm nod.

A relieved sigh whooshed past Ahsoka's lips and her chest felt a little looser. Anakin and Padme might not have survived the end of the Republic, but at least their children had survived. "What happened to them?"

"According to the Jedi, the children were strong with the Force," Rex began explaining. Ahsoka nodded, Anakin's children _would_ be strong. "They had to be hidden from the Emperor. General Kenobi took the boy to Tatooine. Skywalker had family there."

"And the girl?"

"She was adopted by Senator Organa."

A small smile crossed Ahsoka's lips. "The princess."

She should have known. The girl looked a lot like Padme, but her attitude was all Anakin.

"I haven't seen her since she was an infant. Have you met her?"

"A couple times. I think you'd like her, Rex. She's got a lot of Anakin in her, but more of Padme's level-headedness. I've yet to hear tale of her running headfirst into battle with a half-baked plan."

The old clone chuckled. "Sounds like a good mix."

"Yeah…" Ahsoka paused and looked down at her hands. "When I heard Anakin had a child, I was afraid that they had been killed in the purge with their parents. At least the kids survived, though."

"Yeah, the… the kids survived."

It sounded like there was something else Rex wanted to say, but before Ahsoka could get a feel for what that train of through was, he had pushed it away. Her smile faded a little, and she pulled Rex into a quick hug. "Thank you for telling me, Rex."

.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

.

Ahsoka studied the holocron Kanan had loaned to her intently. Her eyes were fixed on the holoform of her former Master. She couldn't help but stare. Even with Rex's confirmation, Ahsoka still had a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea that Anakin would have gotten pregnant. But there it was, clear as day in the holocron. It was subtle, of course it would have been. If the Council had tried to hide Anakin's pregnancy they never would have had her record saber lessons while she was obviously showing. But even after so many years, Ahsoka still knew her Master's preferences, and Anakin _hated_ wearing looser styled robes. She never would have opted for those unless she was covering something up.

Ahsoka continued watching the holocron's recording, trying to guess exactly how far along Anakin had been at that point, and trying to figure out the time line. She knew there was no way Anakin could have been pregnant before she left the Order. She also knew that her leaving had deeply hurt Anakin, and as a married woman, Anakin would have sought the comfort of her husband …

Ahsoka shook herself, it was foolish to feel guilty or wonder if her leaving had caused Anakin to get pregnant. Besides, it wasn't like Anakin having children was the cause for the fall of the Republic. It was the Emperor and his attack dog Vader who killed the Jedi. Ahsoka pushed those thoughts away just as she sensed Ezra stopping outside her door. He paused for a second and then opened the door, half stepping in.

"She's incredible," Ezra said reverently, his eyes trained on the holo playing before Ahsoka. "I've watched her recordings to help me with my own saber training." He took a seat on a crate across from Ahsoka, but kept watching the demonstration. It was one of the more basic forms on the holocron for deflecting blaster fire.

"You should have seen her in person," Ahsoka said with a small smile. "Anakin Skywalker was my Master."

"Kanan said she was the greatest warrior the Jedi had in the Clone Wars."

"She was powerful, rarely lost a battle. But what surprised people most was how kind she was. She cared deeply about her friends and loved ones." Ahsoka sighed softly and looked away. "She looked out for them until the end."

Anakin's holo finished her demonstration and she stood tall. Standing still, it was only more obvious to Ahsoka that she was pregnant at the time of the recording. " _Now keep practicing these forms, and your saber technique will drastically improve._ " The holo faded away as the recording ended.

"Do you know what happened to her?" Ezra asked, mindful of the painfully sad expression on Ahsoka's face.

"The last I saw her, I was handing her my padawan beads at the entrance of the Jedi Temple. It was the day I left the Order. I didn't hear from her or my grandmaster for almost a year. I saw Obi-Wan on Mandalore before he rushed off to rescue the Chancellor, but not Anakin. After that, the war ended, the Republic fell, and the Jedi were accused of treason. Those that escaped the purge were hunted down one by one."

"By the Inquisitors," Ezra concluded.

"Or something worse," Ahsoka said darkly, her mind conjuring an image of the monster that had been stalking her nightmares as of late. Vader.


End file.
